SPACE November 2024 (No. 684)
Exhibition view of the 16th Seoul Architectural Festival / Image courtesy of Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture
The 16th Seoul Architecture Festival was held between Oct. 2 – 29 at the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture. Since its inception in 2009, it has operated under a range of themes, and this year’s it was ‘Group (集): People make a house (集) for the group (家)’. Kim Homin (principal, poly.m.ur), stressed that for those who find meaning in life through interactions with their neighbours, there is nothing more important than the home as a space for encounter and gathering. He expressed his hope that through the guiding concept of ‘home’, local citizens would come to feel a closer connection to architecture. At the opening ceremony, the winners of the 42nd Seoul Architecture Awards were exhibited and awarded. The grand prize went to CLOUD (UIA + Q&Partners Architects), an arcade structure built in the Haebangchon Shinheung Market. The Excellence Awards were given to Well-aging Center (ON Architectural Design Partners) and Odong Public Library (Jang Yoongyoo + Unsangdong Architects). And six other entries were hornoured with awards. The exhibition of the nine award-winning works was also organised under the theme of ‘home’. It was designed to allow visitors to closely observe the process of architects starting from the concept of home and developing their designs. The booths for each project were created in a relaxed, inviting atmosphere, resembling an architect’s workspace. Large tables, reminiscent of an architect’s desk, displayed sketches, blueprints, models, as well as lighting and stationery, enhancing the immersive experience. In addition to the exhibition, various participation programmes were held, including talks with the award-winning architects about their buildings, tours of the winning projects, workshops on the theme of ‘home’, and architectural space photography sessions.
