SPACE August 2026 (No. 705)
In the past, our cities had large and small alleyways. The small moments of everyday life that took place in those alleyways were never governed by prescribed ways of being or predetermined directions. Looking back, perhaps we were growing, little by little, within those ordinary moments without even knowing it. Today, there are not many such places left in our cities. The alleyways have disappeared, and playgrounds have become fewer in number. School, private academies, and home—none of these are places children have chosen for themselves. There is little room in their daily lives for a place or a moment that they can truly call their own. We feel that every young person deserves at least one place like that.
Adolescence is a time when everything feels uncertain, which is why it can be an anxious time. At this stage of life, we hoped the role of education would be, before anything else, to provide an environment where young people can journey freely at their own pace, rather than be controlled by (albeit kind) directions or guidance telling them which way to go.
With this in mind, we imagined the youth centre not as a place for instruction, but as a place for trying things out; a place for long hours of practice, bold experiments, youthful performances, and endless conversations. We wanted to create spaces, large and small, where one person’s initiative might encourage someone else to join in. We imagined young people expressing themselves without hesitation and gradually growing into themselves, and we intended to create a place that could support that journey.
Unlike southern Songdo, where the urban fabric has already taken shape, northern Songdo, the site of the project, is only beginning to develop. Designing the Yeonsu Youth Center in this early landscape in the formation of a new town was therefore less about responding to an existing context than about creating a new one. The wide natural landscape that surrounds the site today will soon give way to a dense urban environment. We imagined ...
*You can see more information on the SPACE No. August (2026).
*Subscribers can browse through E-Magazine right now. >> Available Here
Architect
Of Architecture Limited (Na Jongwon, James Mak) + Save Architects (Park Sungki, Lyu Geunhak)
Design team
Of Architecture Limited – Lee Yeonkyu, Kim Minji / Save Architects – Lee jongmin, Hong Seokyoung, Son Seungmi
Location
424 Central-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon-si, Korea
Programme
training facility
Site area
2,972.8㎡
Building area
1,582.03㎡
Gross floor area
7,920.79㎡
Building scope
B1, 6F
Parking
31
Height
28.1 m
Building to land ratio
53.22 %
Floor area ratio
190.46 %
Structure
steel frame, RC, SRC
Exterior finishing
fluted double glazed glass, clear double glazed gl
Interior finishing
exposed concrete, linoleum, paint on gypsum board
Structural engineer
CNL Engineering Co., Ltd.
Mechanical engineer
DAEA MECH & CONSULTANT Co., Ltd.
Electrical engineer
SUNHWA ENGINEERING Co., Ltd.
Construction
KEONWON CONSTRUCTION Co., Ltd.
Design period
May 2022 – Oct. 2023
Construction period
Dec. 2023 – Mar. 2026
Cost
about 26 billion KRW
Client
Yeonsu-gu Office
Landscape design
HEA
Construction Management
HAENGLIM ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS Co., Ltd.
Graphic design
Shin Shin (Shin Haeok, Shin Donghyeok)
Na Jongwon
Na Jongwon is the Co-Principal of Of Architecture, working between London and Seoul. After leaving Yonsei University, he studied at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, where he completed the Diploma. After graduation, he worked for 6a architects in London for several years. In 2021, he co-founded Of Architecture in London with James Mak. His practice is grounded in collaboration with professionals across diverse disciplines, including art, design, publishing, and academia.
James Mak
James Mak is the Co-Principal of Of Architecture. He graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE) in Geography, before obtaining the AA Diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Mak worked at London-based practice dRMM, where he contributed to a range of projects including education and housing. He investigated the social and cultural implications of vernacular architecture in post-conflict countries. In 2009, he founded a charity that designs, builds, and runs village schools in Takeo, Cambodia.
0