gwangju design biennale 2011: urban follies

‘urban follies’ at the gwangju design biennale 2011 ‘flow control’ by alejandro zaera-polo at korea insurance 4-way cross image courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘urban folly’, an exhibition presented as part of the gwangju design biennale 2011, asked ten architects to explore the urban area of gwangju, korea. the small scale follies act as a link between the public and the city, giving visitors a new space to explore and interact with their surroundings. the structures are placed around the city in carefully chosen locations that work as a network, leading people from one to the other. inside the follies, whether on purpose or simply by the location, activities and programs occur, some connected to the biennale, others not.

‘flow control’ by alejandro zaera-polo transforms the korea insurance 4-way crossing. the relationship between the sidewalk and the park is strengthened, easing people towards the space, while a barrier is placed between the street and the sidewalk.

view from above image courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

overview rendering image courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘communication hut’ at jangdong 4-way crossing by juan herreros image courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

located at the entrance of the future asian cultural complex, ‘communication hut’ by herreros arquitectos is located by the populated jangdong 4-way corssing. acting as a ‘cover’, the form defines the space without disconnecting it from its environment.

view from above image courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

perspective image courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

view from inside vehicle image © herreros arquitectos

plan and perspective image © herreros arquitectos

‘seowonmoon lantern’ by florian beigel at jebogro sidewalk images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

the little tower known as ‘seowonmoon lantern’ by florian beigel is a place that is meant to connect to the city in unexpected ways, whether people are waiting for the bus, or if there is a musical performance. located at on the jebogro sidewalk, a small lantern placed at the top of the tower is illuminated every night.

view from side and front images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

perspective collage images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

’99 kan’ by peter eisenmann at chungjangro police station images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foudation

until recently, people outside of the royal family were not allowed to build houses larger than 99 kan, an old system of measurement. to represent the new laws, peter eisenmann developed ’99 kan’ located outside the chungjangro police station. 100 kan, was measured out in a grid pattern with a dynamic shape flowing through it.

‘the opened wall’ by jung S H and kim S J at hwanggeurmro entry images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

jung S H and kim S J created ‘the opened wall’ at hwanggeurmo entry. exploring the space between a roof and a floor, the installation focuses on the interspace between, or the opened wall.

rendering images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘threshold for intimate recollections’ by sungryong joh at hwanggeumro images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale

located close to the existing threshold at of the old city wall, ‘threshold for intimate recollections’ by sungryong joh consists of embedded steel plates into the floor. this gives inhabitants the chance to create new memories, a symbolic connection between the past and their current environment.

presentation renderings and images images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘the opened box’ concept by dominique perrault at old city hall 4-way cross images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘the opened box’ by dominique perrault consists of metal fabric and wooden columns, referencing the traditional architecture of the area. it is meant to bring balance to the noisy and busy environment at the old city hall crossing.

view from above images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

areal view rendering images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘periscope pergola’ by yoshiharu tsukamot images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

model images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

‘periscope pergola’ by yoshiharu tsukamot is penetrated by one tree to make a viewing platform. instead of distracting the audience with stairs, the bodies remain on the ground, and only the eyes travel upward.

‘public room’ by francisco sanin images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

close up of structure images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

rendering images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

in ‘public room’ by francisco sanin, present meets the past in a point between the old city and the new. stairs and glass walls can be used as a small theatre or for cultural events.

‘the NADAAA installation’ by nader tehrani images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation

the korea insurance connects back to nature in ‘the NADAAA installation’ by US-based architect nader tehrani. steel rods are placed randomly inside of a precisely calculated mass. the form is bridge between the busy sidewalk and the unused resting place above.

view from below images courtesy of the gwangju design biennale foundation