SO-IL: kukje art center

‘kukje art center’ by SO-IL, seoul, korea image © iwan baan

new york-based practice SO-IL has recently completed the ‘kukje art center’, a gallery and art campus masterplan within sogyeok-dong, a neighborhood north of seoul, korea. the single-storey structure merges with the district’s historic urban fabric of lowrise courtyard houses and dense network of small alleyways. joining the recent influx of boutique shops, coffee shops and exhibition spaces, the building encloses an open display area for large installations, performances and multipurpose functions. below grade, two levels will contain an auditorium for lectures, sales room and storage.

maintaining the interior as a cubic volume, circulation is pushed to the edges forming bulges within the massing of the exterior, breaking down the possibility of a pure white figure set into the context. a chainmail veil cloaks the surface, diffusing the crisp edges of the rectilinear geometry with an interplay of shadow and reflection. the stretchable material does not crease, easily navigating and smoothing the angled outdoor stairway or curved projection encasing internal corridors.

north facade image © iwan baan

mesh detail image © iwan baan

(left) east entrance (right) curved stair image © iwan baan

curved stair image © iwan baan

gallery space image © iwan baan

office image © iwan baan

roof terrace image © iwan baan

roof detail image © iwan baan

context image © iwan baan

site plan

floor plan / level 0

section

project info:

client: kukje gallery location: seoul, south korea program: art gallery, lecture hall area: 1,500 sqm / 11,000 sqf status: completed april 2012 team: iannis kandyliaris, cheon-kang park, sooran kim