beck group: saemonan church

‘saemon church’ by beck group, seoul, korea all images courtesy of beck group

american practice beck group has submitted a competition proposal ‘saemon church’ in seoul, korea. as the second oldest protestant church in korea, the current structure needed to dramatically upgraded and expanded for its property positioned within the heart of the city’s business district. for the addition of a 3000 seat sanctuary, 300 seat chapel, new education and meeting space which visually connects the future seamlessly into the past ultimately required the purchase of the 1.6 acre area of land adjacent to the current facility. the new church is to be envisioned and derived metaphorically from the temple of solomon.

this design symbolizes the current reality of religion in society, the new covenant between the spiritual deity and mankind. the boundary, tabernacle fence, of 66 lighted posts are the books of the bible which illuminate man’s path and leads them to christ. the park and main entrance through which the congregation must enter symbolizes the journey of spirituality. the tear in the building’s facade is symbolic of the sacrifice which forever tears open the veil between people and god in his sanctuary. in the sanctuary, light floods the space both in its purest white form and as a prismatic rainbow.

(left) street view (right) illuminated at night

(left) sun drenched corridor (right) outdoor plaza

(left) seating in sanctuary (right) seating oriented towards the altar

model

model

floor plans

sectional perspectives

sectional diagram

design derived from temple of solomon

building form diagram

sustainability diagram

light diagram

interior details

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication.