SPACE May 2026 (No. 702)
I AM AN ARCHITECT
‘I am an Architect’ was planned to meet young architects who seek their own architecture in a variety of materials and methods. What do they like, explore, and worry about? And how are architects in various regions expanding their own worlds in different ways? SPACE is going to discover individual characteristics of them rather than group them into a single category.
Single Family House in Jangyu (2025)
interview Kim Taeyun Principal, M Play Architecture × Kim Hyerin
The Story Behind M Play Architecture
Kim Hyerin: You opened M Play Architecture in Changwon in 2019. What is the meaning behind the studio’s name?
Kim Taeyun: The first letter ‘m’ refers to the metre unit in the metric system. I had my first architectural work experience at Christian de Portzamparc’s studio, which is well-known also for urban design in France. I was a part of the architecture team under the urban team. During my short time there working in urban design and architecture, I became fascinated by how plans drawn at a millimetre scale expanded to a kilometre scale as projects transitioned into urban design. I found it rather significant and wanted to open a studio that would foreground the contemplation of measurement and size. And, I added the word ‘play’ in the hopes that the studio would be full of people who know how to have fun while performing their architectural work.
Kim Hyerin: After graduating from college in Korea, you went to study abroad in France where you lived for nine years.
Kim Taeyun: I chose to go to France because I wanted to learn about architecture that will outlive changing trends. Of course, there were other practical reasons such as affordable living costs. Also, I considered myself too rigid in my way of thinking, and so I wanted to study in an environment that would make me more flexible in that respect.
Office of M Play Architecture
Kim Hyerin: Your first work experience post was in France. What was the working culture and environment like?
Kim Taeyun: In general, everyone is given sufficient time to work in a French working environment. In Korea, for example, when one is commissioned to build a public architecture as part of a design competition, one is typically given less than a year to complete the project. In France, however, I once worked on the same project continuously for two years. We were given plenty of time to carefully contemplate and test appropriate methods and approaches with the given materials. But this is also reflected in the French administrative system which takes things just as slowly!
Kim Hyerin: Why did you choose to settle in Changwon?
Kim Taeyun: Before leaving for France, I never stepped out of Gyeongsangnam-do. I was born in Busan, spent my middle and high school years at Geojedo Island, and did my college in Jinju. After spending nine years in Paris, I felt it would be much better for me to stay in a...
