SPACE July 2026 (No. 704)
Amidst the busy flow of urban life, many are constantly on the move to keep the city running. Foremost among them, delivery riders. Emerging in large numbers following the contactless environment accelerated by the pandemic, this profession, and the spaces created for it, raise important questions for us today. Behind the Baemin Rider School, which recognises platform workers as subjects of architecture, lie numerous unresolved issues such as poor working conditions, pressure from speed-driven competition, and the public’s ambivalent attitude that views riders as both essential and as threats to road safety. The Baemin Rider School was conceived within these contradictions, and through questioning what a corporation can do between the poles of profit-seeking and social responsibility. Within it coexist aspirations and frustrations, achievements and unresolved ambitions. Conversations with the planner and designer of the project trace the making of this space and explore its potential as an initial step toward confronting these challenges. Editor
The front façade of Baemin Rider School. A massive wall – 22m high and 77m wide – was built to block views of the interior from the outside. The surface of the wood-grain exposed concrete, which serves as both the load-bearing structure and the final finish for the entire building, is tinted with colours designated by the local district unit plan.
interview Kim Suyoung Director of Value-add BU, Junglim Architecture, Kim Chulyoung Leader of Workplace Department, Woowa Brothers × Bang Yukyung
Bang Yukyung: The Baemin Rider School opened in Hanam in April this year. Could you tell us about the specific objectives and plans behind its creation?
Kim Chulyoung: The Woowa Brothers, who operates Baedal Minjok (Baemin), considered their social commitments ever since the early stages of the business. As a delivery platform operator connecting merchants and riders, we recognised the importance of education for both groups. In particular, we saw education as a way of improving situations and conditions for riders key platform connecting customers and services — and addressing the areas in which they were not receiving appropriate treatment. The Baemin Rider School was therefore conceived not simply as a training facility for riding skills, but as a space to consider how delivery work might operate more safely within the city and gain greater social and communal respect. By recreating real road conditions indoors, we aimed to enhance practical training effects while fostering pride, respect, and a sense of belonging among riders.▼1 Ultimately, it is both a safety education facility to reduce motorcycle accidents and a project that spatialises the social responsibility of a platform company.
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Kim Suyoung
Kim Suyoung graduated from the Department of Architecture at Chungnam National University and worked at ArchiWorkshop before joining Junglim Architecture in 2018. Currently, he serves as a Director within the Value-Add BU. His portfolio includes notable projects such as The One Centinel, the Hyundai Elevator Chungju Smart Campus, and the Cheonggye Crystal Square Building. Through a user-centred approach, his work explores the multifaceted relationships intertwined with architecture, focusing on questioning ‘why’ rather than ‘how’ to scrutinise the very essence of design.
Kim Chulyoung
Kim Chulyoung graduated from the Department of Interior Design at Seoul Institute of the Arts and received a master’s degree in Interior Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Kookmin University. He is currently a Director at Woowa Brothers and the Leader of the Workplace Department, and is pursuing a PhD in Spatial Design at Hongik University of Graduate School. He has been responsible for major spatial projects at Woowa Brothers and received the iF Design Award in 2018. His research focuses on the relationship between workspaces and organisational culture.
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