SPACE-Between Destiny and Skepticism: Be, Fore

SPACE October 2024 (No. 683)

Be, Fore (2024) in Siheung is the rehabilitation of a neglected area in the sewage terminal treatment plant in Sihwa National Industrial Complex. We didn’t propose a program. Before we placed something here, we wanted it to be a backdrop to the various activities in the place. We created a minimal experiential device by finding out how the sewage terminal treatment plant works and the faded context of the existing site. Using the axes of the distribution and thickening basins, the centre of the inspection deck, and the pipes of the facility as guides, we intended to establish an open sequence of the individual underground civil structures. We wanted what we introduced to the space to be minimal tools that would guide light and water rather than the facilities. The abandoned industrial space and the primitive space for human occupation are complete opposites end of the spectrum but a very similar conception of form. While maintaining the existing shapes as much as possible, I tried to realise the unconscious community that is inherent in all of us through cheap contemporary materials and minimal architectural gestures into architectural forms.

Plan diagram

HalfTank diagram

Tower diagram

Circle Stair diagram

Timber Artrium diagram

You can see more information on the SPACE No. October (2024).

Architect

Chung Isak (Dongyang University) + a.co.lab arch

Design team

Song Jeongwoo, Bae Jangwoo, Cho Youhwan, You He

Location

14, Gongdan 2-daero, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, Kore

Programme

sewage treatment equipment

Site area

215,797.6㎡

Building area

sludge thickener-1,056.8㎡/distribution tank-160.76

Building scope

B1, 1F

Height

8.45m (highest height: Tower)

Structure

RC, lightweight wooden structure

Exterior finishing

exposed concrete, stainless steel, steel plate, po

Interior finishing

check plate, exposed concrete (chipping), wood, wa

Structural engineer

Gumna Structure

Mechanical and electrical engineer

Codam ENG

Construction

Seolseung Construction

Design period

June 2022 – June 2023

Construction period

Aug. 2023 – May 2024

Cost

1.073 billion KRW

Client

Siheung City

Chung Isak

Chung Isak opened a.co.lab architects in 2013 and is a professor at Dongyang University. He has worked on a wide range of architectural projects and has participated in both architecture and contemporary art exhibitions as an artist and curator. He participated in the 2016 Venice Biennale (as curator and artist in the Korean Pavilion), 2016 Beijing Design Week (as curator of Korean Pavilion), ‘CAMP 2020’ (as art director), as well as in public art projects such as Seoul is a Museum and Hangang Art Park. His work has been exhibited at Seoul Museum of Art, Arko Art Center, and Busan Museum of Art. He is also the co-author of the book, The Seoul, City Microhistory (2016).