SPACE Jun 2024 (No. 679)
What sets an architect’s workspace apart from a typical work environment? Often, the elements of the workspace are driven by the unique demands of the architectural industry. An atelier goes beyond the notion of a place for meetings and administration; it requires specific equipment and spaces devised for design and production. In response, each studio may segment or merge various functions to foster better communication and collaboration among team members, thus enhancing efficiency. The key here is how these spaces are uniquely tailored—different methods but the same foundational needs. SPACE asked 20 domestic ateliers about their desires for their ideal workspaces, changes in office layouts responding to shifts in the industry, and their unfulfilled initiatives. Their responses, as varied and striking as their design styles, prompt us to reconsider what an atelier truly means to architects.
Q1. How different is a workspace for architects?
Doojin Hwang Architects Our studio operates on a distributed rather than centralised model, with the understanding that team members frequently move around the office as they work. We retain only the materials related to the current project on our desks, while everything else is stored and managed in an underground archive. We believe this setup suits our culture well, as it keeps ideas and data constantly flowing rather than stagnant.
SKM Architects The office is where we spend the majority of our time, so we aimed to create a space that is well-lit, well-ventilated, eco-friendly, and comfortable. Our office features high ceilings and spacious areas designed to maximise creativity. We approach architecture as an organic entity, attentively crafting even the smallest details and ensuring a precise layout, to foster a sense of doing everything to an appropriate degree when working here.
THE_SYSTEM LAB We believe that the working methods of architects have now reached a point where the traditional architectural office model cannot keep pace with modern society and its cultural fluctuations. Moving beyond the realm of ‘artistic’ works to provide design services that solve problems, it is essential to enhance flexibility and communication. We have converted half of our office into a lounge to shift from a more focused work studio to one that facilitates varying styles of communication. This area hosts everything from meetings to seminars, coffee breaks, meals, and happy hours, fostering both planned and random encounters.
On architects Above all, the space must be free. Architects must continuously think and create new things, which is why it is crucial to be able to contemplate nature. From any point in our office, the natural landscape is always in view. The process from design to completion typically takes at least 1.5 to 3 years, requiring constant communication between staff members throughout. Therefore, we have integrated our workspace into one cohesive area.
TRU Architects Our office’s ideal approach to design work is like a pass play. It’s not about scoring or one-upmanship with skilful flourishes, but about every team member knowing the position of the ball and adjusting their own position. Therefore, our space is designed to allow us to hear each other’s voices and see each other’s expressions, which is why we have opted for one large open space and large desks without walls.
AND Our workspace is divided across two floors that are in contact with the ground. The lower floor is dedicated to drawing, model making, and archiving, while the upper floor serves as a space for design work and meetings. While design tasks are performed at desks, model making and meetings can take advantage of our outdoor spaces. For architects, who spend most of their time in front of computer monitors, having access to natural views and outdoor spaces provides a refreshing mental and physical environment.
MASS STUDIES While we are a group of creative and unique minds, we have designed our workspace not just to emphasise ‘community’, but to facilitate solidarity through a shared daily meal. Everyone eats together at the same time, then splits off for walks before returning. Although we spend most of the year living like monks, we celebrate a large party around our anniversary each year, a kind of annual group ritual that has been established over the years. From the first year, transforming the space from a monastery to a place of festivity for just one day a year helps us rejuvenate and shift our energy. This has helped to establish a unique culture within our design collective.
JMY architects Revealing as much of the architectural language that our office seeks to convey is highly beneficial for education and communication. Most of our communication occurs around the bar area. Unlike the somewhat rigid posture at our desks, the bar area allows for more relaxed activities, permissible noise, and simple beverages, facilitating more comfortable conversations. Occasionally, detailed work can also be discussed using the large monitor at the bar.
a round architects Each employee chooses their desk, and we change seating arrangements every one or two years because we believe that changes within the office affect relationships among staff. While everyone focuses on their work at their individual desks, the central meeting table is actively used for discussions. For meetings or when privacy is needed, we use the downstairs area to ensure our work is undisturbed.
mundoehoje mundoehoje operates as a one-person office, collaborating with different teams for specific projects without any permanent staff. Therefore, the current space’s size (5.5 × 12m) and its layout, furniture configuration, and usage methods accurately reflect the nature of this type of office.
SIE:Architecture Architecture seems to achieve more advantageous outcomes when done together rather than alone. To address the numerous variables and challenges in the process toward our goals, ample collaborative time is essential, and the space must support this work style. For instance, although personal work, meetings, and model making are different in nature, the office structure and pathways should facilitate easy communication among employees. Another aspect is the experience of the external environment. Recently, the importance of outdoor spaces has been emphasised, noting a significant difference between superficial concepts and lived experiences. Unlike in apartments or buildings, daily experiences of seasons, weather, and vegetation appear to immerse us deeper into the intricacies of creating and experiencing spaces.
a.co.lab architects The daily landscapes experienced by those who imagine spaces and cities are significant. These places must be unbiased yet energetic. Working in such an environment is a good way to form an unconscious community among the members. It’s hard to imagine someone working inside a high-rise curtain wall building on Teheran-ro having the same experience as someone under a small green roof in Yeonhui-dong.
Leehong Kim Architects Despite living in the era of the online and metaverse existence, we still believe that working in the same physical space, where we can breathe together, is more efficient and intuitive. Buildings are not just seen with the eyes but are experienced through touch, hearing, and other senses in a site-specific manner. We believe it is appropriate to work in such a setting that directly influences the creation of these experiences.
SHIN Architects We don’t think our current working methods require a special workspace. We placed large windows facing south and installed large planters for landscaping to create a visually calming landscape. However, since our work is primarily computer-based, the blinds are mostly down.
Lifethings We wanted to allocate ample personal space for each employee, provide a pleasant communal area, and share the refreshing view of the Hangang River. While our office isn’t large, we hoped to create a space that all members would enjoy and take pride in.
Q2. If there have been changes to working methods and the spaces in the office, what are they?
Doojin Hwang Architects We have a model room in the basement, but its use has decreased over time. Handmade models are less effective than before in terms of cost, storage, and conveying content. We mainly use 3D modelling, supplemented by 3D printing. However, it doesn’t seem that manual work will completely disappear. Most Korean architects are what you might call ‘A3 architects’, aren’t they? We feel the same and are currently considering using A1 due to the design limitations we’re experiencing.
ONE O ONE architects The way we work should change according to scale. Although we need to sensitively reflect societal changes, it’s challenging for a conservative architectural office to do so. In this context, ONE O ONE architects continuously strives to create and provide a unique culture of our own.
THE_SYSTEM LAB We have continuously changed our working model through annual system upgrades. The most significant change has been the introduction of hot-desking five years ago, which eliminated fixed seating and hierarchical arrangements within the organisation, opening up possibilities for freer communication. Additionally, four years ago, we implemented a digital pin-up system. This involves each individual posting updates about their ongoing work on the cloud every morning when work starts and closing them when they leave. This system helps individuals assess their work and benefits from community-style interaction by viewing others’ work. The ultimate goal of these two systems is to reaffirm our belief that we can work together even when physically apart, preparing for a futuristic scenario of a diversifying office community. Currently, we are experimenting with workshops in Bundang to materialise the contents of the cloud into physical entities.
On architects Initially, we operated in a minimal space slightly over 10 pyeong (about 33m2), where work, meetings, model making, and rest all had to be possible. Now, through expansion, we’ve separated the areas for work, meetings, and a yet-to-be-completed material laboratory. As computers become the primary tools of our design profession, we’ve created spaces that connect with the natural landscape from any vantage point.
TRU Architects Formal meetings have transformed into times for smooth, informal conversations. We’ve realised that truly unique ideas emerge not in meetings but through casual dialogue, which led us to create a lounge-style discussion area called the ‘Rabbit Hole’ on the upper floor of our office.
Urban Empathy Architects’ Cooperative The most significant change has been the fluctuation in staff numbers. When we lacked desks, we changed the layout and even the location of the kitchen. Recently, as the number of staff has decreased, we’re using the space more expansively. Additionally, we’re sharing the vacant spaces with a young solopreneur who has started a solo business.
AND After moving our office from Seoul to Yangpyeong, we’ve reduced the number of projects and staff. Instead of trying to expand, we’re taking a step back from the current trends to find our unique path over the long term. In the atelier space, drawing and interacting with fine artists, AND’s architectural work has developed a synergy with visual arts. While drawing on the advantages of digital design and fabrication, we’re also exploring the freedom and abstraction of painterly expression, evolving into a process that develops into architecture.
a round architects We currently use both the first and second floors. Normally, outsiders not connected with our practice wouldn’t enter the building, but as many people became interested in and curious about the building, since last year, we’ve been opening the first floor to the public in various ways. We not only hold meetings and sessions there but also use a café space to convey the characteristics of a round architects. We regularly host exhibitions and seminars, thereby facilitating more contact with a diverse public, and naturally connecting with various people in this space.
mundoehoje Presented with a good opportunity, I moved into our current building designed in 2020, initially creating a workspace conducive to focused solo work. However, as actual work progressed, collaboration became increasingly important, and the usage of the office space has gradually evolved. We’ve been designating specific uses for tables placed side by side, managing a pantry shared with stay guests, and incorporating areas for meetings and local gatherings.
SIE:Architecture Although it’s unrelated to changes in the working environment, more recently, for certain distinctive projects, we have been selecting project leaders through an internal ideas competition. This process is crucial as it allows us to recognise the unique individuality of each designer, even among those with similar tastes working on similar tasks. It seems to facilitate autonomous and rational collaboration through unreserved expression of individual thoughts, meaningful discussions, and critiques. We consider this an experimental process aimed at transforming an office where ‘one person is the protagonist’ to one where ‘everyone is the protagonist.’
SHIN Architects The biggest change has been the difficulty in continuing to make physical models. Previously, model making was so integral that we had a dedicated model room, but now it has become a challenging task. Although the joy of crafting and the tactile pleasure of making models is still irreplaceable, finding skilled personnel for model making and allocating time for it has become exceedingly difficult compared to the efficiency and convenience of digital work.
