SPACE November 2024 (No. 684)
Rendering image of Genius Loci ©Mun Shihoo, Shin Songyun, Yeom Seunggi
On Sep. 27, the award ceremony for the 37th Space Prize for International Students of Architecture Design was held at the SPACE Group headquarters. The theme was ‘Architecture & Urbanism in the Anthropocene’. Judge Jae K. Kim (professor, Hanyang University) raised questions about the role of architecture and cities at a time when the Anthropocene is being widely discussed across society. The grand prize-winning project, ‘Genius Loci’, by Mun Shihoo (Hanyang University), Shin Songyun (Seoul National University), and Yeom Seunggi (Chonnam National University), focused on the desertification of the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest lake in the world, and proposed a plan for its natural recovery. The project includes a structure that blocks sandstorms while collecting moisture from the air for agricultural water, ‘geo-wall blocks’ made from local sediment, sand, and halophyte seeds to promote plant cultivation, and ‘anchor facilities’ used for seed and material storage, as well as educational and cultural programmes. The project aims at the gradual restoration of both the local community and the ecosystem. It was highly praised for offering a concrete solution that combines ecological and architectural approaches to address a specific regional issue. The Excellence Award-winning project, ‘The Future of the Building’ by Lee Youna, Kim Seheon, Yu Soyun (Korea University), explores the social role of architects through the concept of a ‘Decomposition Lab’. Waste materials are transported to the lab, where they undergo decomposition, pollutant removal, and reprocessing for reuse, creating a continous cycle. They propose the role of an ‘archaeologist architect’ who discovers the potential for reuse in waste materials, similar to how natural building materials are sourced. This project was highly praised for its innovative approach to the use of resources.
