SPACE October 2024 (No. 683)
Endless Room worked at Royal College of Art
interview Park Taewon ARUP seniar architect × Kim Bokyoung
To a Bigger World
Kim Bokyoung (Kim): How is your life in London?
Park Taewon (Park): I visited the Serpentine Gallery multiple times since it opened in July, and I am now looking forward to visiting the park of the Natural History Museum. I have been here in London for 9 years now, but I think I am still in the adjustment phase—particularly in relation to the weather. (laugh) I mean, the weather changes multiple times within the day! I have mostly been working on international projects, so it has been quite hectic. Nowadays, family time is my favourite pastime. We held a party some time ago to celebrate my child’s second birthday.
Kim: What brought you to study in the U.K.?
Park: After graduating from college and working at a design studio, I started having some doubts about what I thought could be taken for granted regarding architecture and design. Specifically, I felt that I needed to reflect on why I often emphasised certain things and why I preferred certain designs over others. And I wanted to share these reflections with people from all over the world. Since London is home to many international architects and artists, I wondered why not start there. So, after my wife and I got married, we spent our honeymoon in London so that I could visit the schools and see for myself if the rumors were true. Even then, London was perfect except for the weather! (laugh)
Kim: There are many schools famous for architecture in London. Was there a particular reason why you chose the Royal College of Art (RCA) among them?
Park: During my studies and work in Korea, I felt that – as an architect – building professional connections and participating in collaborative experiences are important. I mean, aside from forging ties with other architects, I found forming connections with people outside architecture to also be very important. And so I concluded that I should go to an art s...
