Kukje Art Center by SO-IL
05/06/2012.
Kukje Gallery [Seoul] South Korea
metalocus, LUIS TERRAIN
metalocus, LUIS TERRAIN
Now, for Kukje Gallery in Seoul, SO-IL has developed a master plan of the gallery’s “art campus” in the historic urban fabric of Sogyeok-dong, a lowrise area in the northern part of Seoul. Small alleyways and courtyard houses characterize this neighborhood, which is currently being infiltrated by newly constructed galleries, boutiques and coffee shops. The gallery opened with an exhibition of work by Paul McCarthy. Next up, the gallery will host 'Personages' (from 23 May), a solo show of the work of Louise Bourgeois.
This third gallery is one of the newly planned buildings within the master plan is a gallery. The structure is a single-story, clear-span art space. The ground floor will be used for large installations, performances and other functions, while the two sublevel floors house a sales room, a lecture space and storage areas. Circulation is pushed out to the edge of the building to maintain the pure geometry of the box. A perimeter skylight admits natural light.
Considering the clear diagrammatic geometry of the white cube too rigid within the historic fabric the building is enveloped in a permanent “nebula”—a pliable chainmail veil. The stainless steel mesh produces a layer of diffusion in front of the actual building mass, through a combination of multidirectional reflection, openness, and the moiré pattern generated through interplay of its shadows. An additional quality of the material is that it can stretch, thus avoiding creasing. It is strong yet pliable, and can easily wrap around crude geometries. Together with Front Inc., has developed, engineered and fabricated this one-off façade.
Team: Iannis Kandyliaris, Cheon-Kang Park, Sooran Kim
Client: Kukje Gallery
Program: Art gallery, lecture hall
Area: 1.500m² / 11.000 sf
Status: Completed April 2012
Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL) is an idea-driven design office founded by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu in 2008, and is currently led together by Ilias Papageorgiou. With a global reach, it brings together extensive experience from the fields of architecture, academia and the arts. The firm has extensive recognition and prizes, including the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League, the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program Award, and the AIA Young Architects Award. The office has received praise for many of its works including the design of the Frieze Art Fair New York, and for their largest building to date, the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California at Davis.
Partners.
Florian Idenburg, principal. Florian Idenburg (1975, the Netherlands) holds an MSc. in Architecture from Delft University of Technology. Prior to founding SO–IL, Idenburg gained eight years of experience at the practice of Pritzker laureates Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA. Idenburg is a recognized voice in academia and has held teaching positions at Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and the University of Kentucky.
Jing Liu, M Arch, principal. A native of China, Jing Liu received her education in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, concluding with a Master of Architecture from Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans. Liu has been a faculty member at The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University since 2009, and advises the Master’s thesis at Parsons The New School of Design. In addition to her professional and academic pursuits, Liu serves on the board of the Van Alen Institute.
Ilias Papageorgiou, partner. He was born in Athens, Greece. He holds a Diploma in Architecture from Aristotle University in Greece, and a Master's in Architecture from Harvard University. Papageorgiou has been with SO–IL since its inception in 2008 and has played a key role in the firm’s recognition and success. He became a partner in 2013. Besides practising, Papageorgiou is a frequent lecturer and visiting critic at various universities and has taught design studios at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
Team.
Sooran Kim, associate, joined SO–IL in 2011 and relocated to Seoul to oversee the construction of the Kukje project. Sooran holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University.
Ted Baab, associate, joined SO–IL in 2011. Ted holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University.
> 2013.