Week 4

This week in Seoul was my second-to-last week here. It was another eventful week, with visits to fantastic architecture projects, renowned Korean firms, and new cultural experiences. One of the most memorable highlights was my class’s visit to the recently completed Wonnam Won Buddhism Temple, by Mass Studies. The project was astounding, with every detail perfectly designed to accommodate the needs and artistic/philosophic vision of the Won Buddhists who use the space. It was especially inspiring to see how Mass Studies resolved the traditional residential building that occupied the site before building: the firm decided to completely uproot the house, keeping it completely unharmed in the process, and centrally integrated it back into their design, even marrying the new materials of their project with the aged materials of the traditional house. It was a masterclass in adaptive re-use. Additionally this week, I visited two famous museums, both by internationally-acclaimed architects. In all, this week was an inspiring adventure through the architectural landscape of Seoul.