A Space That Carries on the Atmosphere of the Place: Canopy_Yeongdo Cultural Complex

SPACE September 2026 (No. 706) 

Yeongdo, an autonomous district of Busan, is an island. Based on the shell middens and pottery unearthed here, the area is known to have been inhabited since the Neolithic Age. As it is an island, there are many longstanding indigenous residents, giving the place a deeply rooted local character, so much so that there are sayings such as ‘Once you get in here, you cannot leave’ or ‘When moving, you must move at night without the Samsinhalmae (goddess of childbirth) noticing’. Since the establishment of Korea’s first shipyard here in the late nineteenth century, the area is thronged with people drawn by the shipbuilding industry. Also, named after the sound of hammers striking ship hulls, Kangkangee Village has become a tourist attraction today, drawing a steady stream of visitors.

As a consequence of living among the traces of the shipbuilding industry and the distinctive scenery that marks out this coastal village, Yeongdo has become known as a place where anyone can come and go at any time. However, Dongsam-dong, where the Canopy_Yeongdo Cultural Complex is located, remains slightly apart from this hustle and bustle. Once a departure and arrival point for buses, the site served as a depot for city buses that every resident of Yeongdo has surely taken. After it ceased to be used as a depot in mid 2000s, it was used as the marketplace for the Jungri 5-Day Market, which was an impromptu affair organised by local residents, exuding the atmosphere of a rural marketplace by the sea.

I remember trying to imagine various new ways of using this site: perhaps a flea market organised in collaboration with local residents, or an art workshop for children, which is a kind of facility that is particularly lacking in Yeongdo given the rapid decline in its population. The reason it was planned as a cultural complex rather than a simple commercial space derives from the desire to preserve the identity of this place as a ‘place where people get together’, given that for over a decade it was made available to the 5-Day Market at virtually no cost.

We named this newly constructed building Canopy, which means a large roof. The building’s simple and rustic first impression, as if a tin roof were atop light steel columns, is perfectly suited to preserving the atmosphere of this place, where people would gather as soon as someone started setting up a tent for an open-air market.

The front of the site marks the start of Jeoryeong-ro, the road connecting the west and east sides of Yeongdo. Along this one-way street, buses and cars create frequent traffic queues and noise. On the inner side of the site, a small part of the natural landscape remains along the slope at the foot of Bongraesan Mountain, serving as a buffer green space between the site and the apartment complex. In order to embrace these two contrasting surrounding environments (rather than cutting away the gentle slope of about 1.5m and treating it with a retaining wall) we opted to replace the slope with steps to make a more defined space. Above them, we erected columns and installed a roof.

Centred around this building, a warm and cosy south-facing courtyard sits on a corner of the west side of the site, while a fairly spacious car park sits on the other corner. These two outdoor spaces, separated by a not-so-wide building, clearly express their own distinct roles and atmospheres. However, when viewed from inside, the floors with differing heights between the glass windows appear connected as if they were a single space. As the floor and ceiling heights vary from one spot to another, the space is easy to navigate, even without any specific partitions or signage. Furthermore, since the outside scenery changes depending on where one sits; people’s preferences for where they wish to sit and linger change with each visit, as there is no perceived ‘best’ spot that needs to be taken in advance. The ceiling that is slanted in line with the slope takes on a stepped form with even finer divisions than the floor, allowing the subtly varying landscapes of the site to be experienced more dramatically.

The Canopy_Yeongdo Cultural Complex is not-so-small in scale or simple in design. To alleviate any immediate sense of weight, we sought to refine the design using the most understated tones possible. The roof was finished with corrugated steel sheets to evoke the feel of slate roofs on houses in a historic village, and we extended the steel cladding down the walls along the roofline created a somewhat unfamiliar atmosphere.

On the southern side of the building, a cantilevered wall that bends down from the sloping roof and drops low to near eye level serves as a device to create a small but distinct space. Facing the chaotic road at the front, a perimeter wall clad in cement boards was erected, and the roof was extended slightly down from this line. Underneath the exposed steel columns and the rainwater pipes descending from the roof, which were left as they were, we planted unnamed wildflowers and grasses, as well as baby camellias, which are similar to the camellias commonly found on Yeongdo but with smaller leaves and a graceful form. The aim was to create the atmosphere of a pleasant moment one might encounter while walking through the intricate alleyways of Yeongdo, as if to say, ‘This is Yeongdo’. In the narrow gap between the perimeter wall and the other walls, which is just wide enough for one person, the interplay of light, shadow, and breeze has created an outdoor space with an atmosphere distinct from that of the courtyard.

After parking, strolling along the eaves beneath the roof and walking up the external staircase between the courtyard and the existing retaining wall, one reaches the exhibition space on the second floor. The second floor has been left empty to accommodate various uses, including exhibitions and lectures. The old retaining wall facing the courtyard is used as a canvas for children to draw on. Passing through the alleyway running through the building leads to an annexe, which was additionally planned as part of a cultural complex.

Although the Canopy_Yeongdo Cultural Complex is a space with a contemporary aesthetic, we hope the sentiments felt and experienced here resemble those once felt in a village in Yeongdo long ago.