[DIALOGUE] The Methods Behind Neighbourhood Living Facilities ─ PRESENCE : ABSENCE

SPACE March 2025 (No. 688) 

DIALOGUE

Kim Dongjin professor, Hongik University × Lee Sungyong principal, SYL Architects × Zo Hangman professor, Seoul National University 

PRESENCE : ABSENCE

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Names

Kim Dongjin (Kim): Who is the true owner of architecture? This question has lingered in my mind for a long time. Narrowing our scope to neighbourhood living facilities, who, then, is the

true owner of these kinds of facilities? Whenever such questions arise, I think of Bati-ㄹ (2008, covered in SPACE No. 490), which was the first project and neighbourhood living facility I designed after establishing my firm. After completion, I happened to meet a couple who lived nearby. When they found out I was the architect, they greeted me with excitement. They told me that ever since the building was constructed, the surrounding neighbourhood has improved. From that moment on, I became certain that the true owners of neighbourhood living facilities are its residents. 

Lee Sungyong (Lee): Referring to the word ‘neighbourhood’, neighbourhood living facilities are spaces that supports everyday residential life within a community. These facilities demand full consideration of their residents while also having to meet the demands of the client. These two aspects are often in conflict. The architect’s intentions come only after that. 

Kim: That point is important to me. An architect is not the owner of architecture. Instead, the architect builds up a physical and mental structure until the moment of completion, then hands over the keys. From then on, the survival of the building as a place is no longer ...