SPACE August 2023 (No. 669)
On June 28, an open jury for the 2023 Korea Young Architect Award was held simultaneously at Junglim Architecture’s Kim Jungchul Hall and on YouTube. The final winners were Moreless Architects (principal, Kim Youngsoo), KimNam Architects (co-principals, Kim Jinhyu, Nam Hojin), and AGIT STUDIO (principal, Seo Jamin). Prior to the presentations, Lee Minah (principal, Hyupdongone), on the jury for this event, said, ‘There are not many opportunities for young architects and established architects to talk to each other, so I hope this will be a place where participants and jury members can freely discuss and exchange thoughts.’ Based on the submitted projects, each team explained their specific working methods including the use of materials, conceptualisation, and structural solutions, and freely shared their views on the attitudes of architects and the meaning of the Young Architect Award. Moreless Architects (refer to pp. 126 – 131) were well received for their own interpretation of the adjustment lines, which is one measurer of space. Instead of chasing only geometric proportions, they maintained the basic framework such as scale and orientation in the relationship between spaces, but presented a new interpretation by using adjustment lines as a means to create a sense of space. Representative works that reflect this attitude include Surium, Nasillonner, Aloha Dosan, Sara Hannam, Arc Moment, Gaonnuri. KimNam Architects (covered in SPACE No. 644) received positive reviews for their theory that beauty in architecture can be achieved when the hard work of the builder, the joy of the user, and a self-reflection of the architect are combined. They explained their thoughts through examples of their projects starting from a Kindergarten in Seoul, a public project, to private housing projects such as Warm and Cool, a House by a Lake, and EED. AGIT STUDIO (covered in SPACE No. 668), impressed the juries with the message: ‘For a building that exhibits a clear form, it is necessary to have the courage to be rough and ugly’. They presented Project YP, Archived Mass, Project: Re-interpret, Mottagi99, and Concrete Library, on which the juries commented jointly that they ‘acutely accepted urban problems as clues to generate design intent, and present a clear position on the basic vocabulary of architecture such as massing, construction, emptying of space, sense of volume, and texture, going beyond the inherent narratives of young architects and sending a message to the established architectural community.’ Kim Dongjin (professor, Hongik University), a jury member at this event, commented that ‘the event provoked thoughts on the meaning of young and old architecture’, and defined old architecture as ‘having a pattern of design which solidifies’. He then wrapped up by commenting that ‘therefore the significance of the Korea Young Architect Award lies in supporting and recognising the potentials of architects who can write their own narrative before a team’s framework becomes fixed.’ The three winners will be presented with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism award, as well as the opportunities to exhibit and publish their works, and participate in domestic and international architectural events. (by Park Minjeong)
Surium ⓒJoel Moritz
A House by a Lake ⓒKimNam Architects
Mottagi99 ⓒKyungsub Shin
