SPACE August 2026 (No. 705)
A Reference Line for Perceiving Nature’s Changes
While constantly changing, the pace at which nature changes is so slow that it often goes unnoticed. This project proposes a reference line for perceiving the passage of time in nature through architecture. Just as a musical staff reveals the pitch of notes, architecture serves as a linear device for interpreting the changes in nature. We designed a long, linear mass – 15m wide and 200m long – nestled on the slope of Chilbongsan Mountain as an exhibition space comprising the welcome centre, the cultural centre, and a lake observation deck. This linearity contrasts with the organic topography, allowing visitors to become conscious of both the rhythms of nature and their own movements.
The circulation, which sequentially passes through the bridge, glass frames, and skylights along the linear mass, forms a long promenade that allows visitors to experience the valley, the sky, and the shifting daylight in successive stages. It then passes through the square mass (cultural centre) spanning the terrain, connecting the ground level to the rooftop. The three courtyards on the ground floor of the cultural centre which draw light and breeze into the interior serve as vertical axes connecting the rooftop and the basement and thereby add a different rhythm to the linear flow. The rooftop blurs the boundary between the building and the terrain until it is imperceptible, while transparent railings extend the view deep into nature. In this way, the architecture and the terrain form a single, uninterrupted landscape. The lodging building, which extends along the hill behind the main structure, also forms a low, terraced mass that conforms to the terrain, allowing visitors to experience nature more intimately.
Diagram
