Dongkyu Yoon _ Architecture Thesis 2021

Special t

Il Kim

thanks to

m, PhD

“GIVING BACK A CANNY HOME TO AN UNCANNY KOREAN CITY” IS NOT DESIGNING A REPLICA OF NOSTALGIC VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE. IT IS NOT ABOUT A KITSCH MIMIC OF TRADITIONAL FORM, MATERIAL, SEQUENCE, AND HIERARCHY. THE ALTERNATIVE AND PRACTICAL PROPOSAL IS FOR REHABILITATION OF EXISTING UNCANNY ARCHITECTURE AND CITY IN SOUTH KOREAN. IT IS TO JUXTAPOSE A CANNY AND UNCANNY SETTING FOR A SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HUMAN SCALE SPACE.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.INTRODUCTION: 01

2.WHAT A CANNY HOME AND UNCANNY KOREAN CITY IS: 05

3.HOW AN UNCANNY KOREAN CITY DOMINATES A CANNY HOME: 21

4.HOW A CANNY HOME CHANGES AN UNCANNY KOREAN CITY: 29

5. CONCLUSION 57

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATIONS 61

1.INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, half of 20 million South Korean

households, who used to live in a canny architectural and urban setting before, live in an uncanny setting. Before a description of these two different settings in detail, a definition of “canny” and “uncanny” must be cleared. These English words, which were renowned for Sigmund Freud’s book “The Uncanny” in 1919, are translated from the German words “Heimlich” and “Unheimlich.” Freud separated the prefix “Un” and adjective “Heimlich,” and tried to find a definition of “Heimlich” in a German dictionary. The dictionary indicates that “Heimlich” means belonging 1. Sigmund Freud, The Uncanny (London: Penguin Classics, 2003), 126

to the home or the family.1 The canny setting is homely and intimate as a family. On the other hand, the uncanny setting is unhomely and detached like a stranger. Hence, the uncanny architectural and urban condition in South Korea is not home-like and family (or neighbor) oriented. There is no individual memory and definition of what home-ness is. Also, a change of the South Korean family structure cannot make family-ness anymore. The number of nuclear families is extremely decreased, but single family is drastically increased. So, individuals are isolated from other crowds of individuals. In this situation, architecture and the city should be altered to be canny for solving depressing issues.

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Introduction 04

2.WHAT A CANNY HOME AND AN UNCANNY KOREAN CITY IS

The uncanny Korean city has been designed with urban planning for a perfectly efficient apartment community. It should be economic from every perspective.

So, only minimum requirements for functioning the community existed. So, pedestrians should barely walk on 4 feet wide sidewalks. Streets are fully yielded to vehicles. Conglomerates, which designed and built the community, did not consider any space for people as social animals. Hence, solely individual activities are led to happen. Apartments in South Korea have a different meaning of collective life from apartments in the Western world.

When Le Corbusier’s Radiant City (1935) and Unité D’Habitation (1952) tried to build an ideal life of a public community, South Korean apartments led to anonymity and absence of community by conglomerates (Image.1,2). Even though South Korean apartments have a strong similarity with Ludwig Hilberseimer’s High Rise City (1928-1933), it is the only replica of the form. South Korean apartments did not follow Hilberseimer’s idea about a Capitalist city (Im2. Sang-hun Lee, ”Origins and characteristics of Korean Apartments in 1970-80’s,” Journal of Korean Housing Association Vol.23, No.1 (2012): 76.

age.3).2

This uncanny urban phenomenon formed isolated and redundant islands of apartment blocks in the city (Image.4,5,6).

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From left top to bottm right Image.1: Le Corbusier’s Radiant City (1935).

Image.2: Le Corbusier’s Unité D’Habitation (1952).

Image.3: Hilberseimer’s High Rise City (1928-33).

Image.4: Endless layers of apartments in S.Korea.

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 08

Image.5: A satellite map of the Dong-A apartment and vicinity. ©NAVER.

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Image.6: A map of the Dong-A apartment and vicinity. Image by author.

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 10

In the isolated apartment blocks, residents cannot easily find a place to publicly communicate. It is because the conglomerates did not have an idea about what kind of utopia they wanted to design and live. So, streets on a ground-level only function as parking spaces. It is hard to change the space for a public space since the parking lots have a fixed program. Also, vehicles are always dangerous for pedestrians.

Image.7: A view of a ground level parking lot. Photography by author.

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Furthermore, the center of apartments does not have any special function for the community. Even though the space in the middle has an advantage for making a communal space, it only operates as a parking space (Image.7).

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 12

balcony balcony

balcony

room room

dinning

foyer

living room

balcony

Image.8: A plan of the Dong-A apartment. Image by author.

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room

dinning

room

balcony

kitchen

kitchen

room

room

foyer

room

living room

balcony

room

Once residents enter the apartment building, they still cannot find any public space among neighbors. Only an elevator with space for a maximum of 10 people can be a public space where residents encounter and communicate. A staircase for circulating in the building is just for the fire staircase. This banal and repetitive staircase does not make any motivation to explore the apartment along the staircase.

Image.9: An elevator of the Dong-A apartment. Photography by author.

Image.10: A staircase of the Dong-A apartment. Photography by author.

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 14

Meanwhile, canny homes before urban planning or zoning were full of communal events. Neighbors became a friend, teacher, parent, and lover at the street (Image.9). As every private home is opened to the public street, privacy invaded to public space. Houses in a human scale and streets for only humans could make the moment that Homes synchronized with the street like blood moves around the body through a vein (Image.10,11).

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Image.11: Various events on small alleys ©Kim Ki-chan.

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 16

Image.12: A satellite map of the Bukchon Hanok village. ©NAVER.

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Image.13: A map of the Bukchon Hanok village. Image by author.

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 18

room

maru

pond

Image.14: A plan of Seoseokji, 2021, image by author.

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room

When the streets are opened to the public along with the canny homes, the homes are also opened toward the public. Most of the traditional Korean houses are made of light structures and flexible walls for viewing scenery with nature and neighborhood.

Seoseokji (1613), which was a house for a retired nobleman, has a simple layout in the Image.15: A scenery of the Seoseokji from a pond.

grid. Through the opened and straight visibility along the grid, residents can enjoy a boundless space between natural scenery and artificial house. However, enclosed rooms can control the privacy of the residents (Image 12,13,14).

Image.16: A scenery from a maru of the Seoseokji.

What A Canny Home And An Uncanny Korea City is 20

3.HOW AN UNCANNY KOREAN CITY DOMINATES A CANNY HOME

After the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, the South Korean government wanted to spread an overpopulation out to the outskirts of Seoul. So, the government chose five cities, Ilsan, Bucheon, Anyang, Gunpo, and Bundang as new satellite cities (Image 15). Also, politicians and militaries wanted to earn money with a grand construction plan and real estate speculation. The new town plan obviously triggered a way to make a middle class with the military government and conglomerates. Bundang new town was the most successful town to earn financial benefits because it is close to Gangnam, the south area of Seoul. So, high demands and supports could make a good infrastructure to live (Image 16).

30

km

20

km

Ilsan

10

km

Seoul

Bucheon

Anyang Gunpo

Image.17: Seoul and the first new towns in 1989. Image by author.

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Bundang

te

Si

High Density Residential Med Density Residential Low Density Residential High Density Commercial Med Density Commercial Low Density Commercial School Public Facility Office Green Space Stream

Image.18: A Bundang zoning map. Image by author.

How An Uncanny Korean City Dominates A Canny City Home 24

Image.15: Seoul and the first new towns in 1989. Image by author.

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South Korean conglomerates and government in the 1990s took an advantage of the idea of Hilbereimer’s “Proposal for City-Center: in 1830. They were fascinated by underground parking lots for an increasing number of personal vehicles.

Also, a flat layout of living units could offer superior light conditions and ventilation into each living unit (Image 17).3 te

Si

3. Ludwig Hilberseimer, Metropolis Architecture (New York:GSAPP Books), 304-305

Image 19. Vorschlag zur Bebauung der Berliner City (1929) Accessed April 26,2021. https://findinghomeproject.wordpress. com/2012/02/25/cityscape/

How An Uncanny Korean City Dominates A Canny City Home 26

The government and individuals take advantage of real estate specula-

unit: 1,000 USD 45 Gangnam

40

tion. So, GDP could rap-

35

Bundang

idly increase with the

30

GDP per capita

price of houses (Image

25

18). Also, more and more

20

construction for build-

15

ing apartments happened.

10

Since early 1990, the

Gangbuk

Pusan

5

usage of steel and ce1960

ment is much higher than

1970

1980

1990

age 19).

ety recently has been

2010

2020

Image.20: A relationship between apartment’s mostly increased prices per 3.3m2 (=35.5ft2) and South Korean GDP per capita.

Data collected by author.

in Western Europe (Im-

However, Korean soci-

2000

unit: kg/cap/year 1600

1400

changed to an individualistic society (Image

1200

20). So, South Koreans

1000

cannot fit in an exist-

800

ing apartment for four

S.Korea steel S.Korea cement

600

members of the family structure (Image 21). In this uncanny situation, the South Korean housing system should be changed to current people.

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W.Europe cement

400

W.Europe steel

200

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

Image.21: Comparisons between amounts of South Korean and Western European usages of cement and steel. Data collected by author.

unit: % 100

Beyond Four

90

Three

80 70 60

Couple

50 40

Single

30 20 10

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

Image.22: A change of South Korean family structure.

Data collected by author.

unit: % 100

etc.

90

Town House

80

Single House

70 60 50 40 30

Apartment

20 10

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

Image.23: A change of South Korean family structure.

Data collected by author.

How An Uncanny Korean City Dominates A Canny City Home 28

4.HOW A CANNY HOME CHANGES AN UNCANNY KOREAN CITY

BEFORE _ ISOLATED CITY The existing condition is enclosed with vegetation for making an isolated community from other apartment communities and commercial buildings. Apartments are clustered along dead-ends. Parking lots on ground level and underground contain residents’ vehicles.

Seohyeon-ro

play ground

play ground

retail

senior center

Dolma-ro

play ground

middle school

Dolma-ro 486 beon-gil

commercial

commercial

AFTER _ OPENED CITY As the ground-level parking lots goes down to an additional underground level, centers of apartments’ clusters can be gathering spaces for neighbors. The long vegetation which encloses the community is separated into numerous pieces. So, residents can enter the community from every direction.

Seohyeon-ro

extension

extension

fire

gym

fire

nursery

play ground

extension

fire

extension

extension

fire

fire

extension

extension

fire

extension

extension

extension

play ground

extension

extension

extension

extension

fire

fire

extension

fire

fire

Dolma-ro

play ground

middle school

fire

extension

extension

extension

extension

Dolma-ro 486 beon-gil

commercial

commercial

extension

fire

fire

extension

ry br a li

fire

extension

extension

extension

BEFORE _ ELIMINATION Get rid of existing windows and walls which block the straight visibility inside. It disassembles the existing condition that only 2 families share a small elevator as a public space.

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AFTER _ EXTENSION Adding transparent entrance, structures, and public passage on the backside of the apartment. So, space for 4 members families is divided into 1 or 2 members of families.

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 34

AFTER _ DIFFERENT PRIVATE/PUBLIC CONDITION As an extension for public passage(light pink) is attached to an existing structure (black and white). Various sizes of Porch with controllable privacy elongate public space into private space. So, neighbors in units and at the public passage can see each other through a transparent entrance. Also, communication voids on every floor give a public encountering space for neighbors.

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How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 36

BEFORE _ FRONT nuclear_single story

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AFTER _ FRONT nuclear_single story

BEFORE _ BACK nuclear_single story

AFTER _ BACK nuclear_single story

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 38

BEFORE _ DISCONNECTED VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY Residential units on the first floor were a barrier to block a physical and visual continuity of the townscape. Furthermore, it always had security and privacy problems.

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AFTER _ ELONGATED VISBILITY OF TOWNSCAPE Vehicle streets are manipulated for a minimal area in the community. Then, leftover spaces are changed to green space and open and walkable space like a square.

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 40

BEFORE _ GROUND LEVEL nuclear_single story

elev nuclear

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AFTER _ GROUND LEVEL retail_single story

elev retail

retail

retail

entrance

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 42

BEFORE _ NONCOMMUNICABLE SPACE Since the construction company wanted to earn a maximum benefit with a minimum investment, they only build the apartment in a highly efficient way. So, void spaces for public encounters do not exist.

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AFTER _ COMMUNICABLE VOID Against the lack of communication from the existing apartment, horizontally and vertically recessed void spaces for public encounters are suitable for bonding their relationships.

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 44

BEFORE _ UPPER LEVEL

nuclear_single story

elev nuclear

BEFORE _ UPPER LEVEL

nuclear_single story

elev nuclear

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AFTER _ UPPER LEVEL nuclear

nuclear_single story couple_single story single_single story

single

couple

single

couple

single

elev

egress

AFTER _ UPPER LEVEL single

comm void

single

couple_mezzanine top single_mezzanine top communication void

single

elev

egress

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 46

BEFORE _ SKIN WITHOUT EVENTS Redundant and homogenous skins of apartments without a vitality make the city a much dreary looking place. Small windows for minimum natural lights interrupt to show a resident’s movement.

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AFTER _ ELEVATED COMMUNAL PASSAGE The communal passage on the apartment will become a new threshold to encounter residents who have different family structures through a transparent foyer or living room.

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 48

BEFORE _ UPPER LEVEL

nuclear_single story

elev nuclear

BEFORE _ UPPER LEVEL

nuclear_single story

elev nuclear

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AFTER _ UPPER LEVEL

couple_mezzanine mid single_mezzanine mid communication void

comm void

elev

egress

AFTER _ UPPER LEVEL single

comm void

single

couple_mezzanine bttm single_mezzanine bttm communication void

single

couple

single

elev

egress

How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 50

AFTER _ LIBRARY A blurred boundary between private and public is controllable by transparent, translucent glass doors, curtains, and plants. Private space has an in-between space with the public space. A blurred boundary between private and public is controllable by transparent, translucent glass doors, curtains.

0

10ft

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How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 52

NURSERY Since there are families who have children in the community, they need a nursery where can take care of the children from the morning to evening.

Rooms with reed glasses protect privacy between children and residents in apartments.

0

10ft

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How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 54

GYM A public gym can give a chance to be healthier residents. Wavy glass facades reflect surrounding vegetations and apartments. The reflection can protect direct visibility toward apartment units.

0

10ft

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How A Canny Home Changes An Uncanny Korean City 56

5.CONCLUSION

Through the small change from the existing uncanny setting, the alternation can cause a big change in the lives of neighbors in South Korea. The canny lives, which we forgot how to use, enjoy, and remember together, should be brought back to us in a society that was totally controlled by money, conglomerates, and modernist absolute efficiency. Of course, it is impossible to go against capitalism. However, people need a minimum non-profitable space for themselves with their neighbors. So, the space with collective

memories has much

valueable meaning beyond the capital.

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Conclusion 60

6.BIBLIOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny.

London: Penguin Classics. 2003 Lee, Sang-hun. “Origins and Characteristics of Korean Apartments in 1970-80’s.”

Journal of Korean Housing Association (Feb 2012): 76 Hilberseimer, Ludwig.

Metropolis Architecture.

New York: GSAPP Books. 2014

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ILLUSTRATIONS 1.Gellner, Arrol. “Le Corbusier: Order above All Else.” Architext. February 23, 2015. http://arrolgellner.blogspot.com/2015/02/.

2.Yan, Xiaoxu. “Hakon Mjelva. Ammerud – A New Way Of Living.” Roomofpossibilities. May 13, 2018. http://www.roomofpossibilities.com/index.php/2018/04/13/ammerud-project-a-new-way-of-living/.

3.Gray, Jonathan. “The city of tomorrow - An essay.” jonathangraydesign. Unknown. https://jonathangraydesign.uk/the-city-of-tomorrow-an-essay.

4.Walter, Alexander. “What makes a city vertical?.” Archinect. July 18. 2019. https://archinect.com/news/article/150146844/what-makes-a-city-vertical 5.Donga Apartment. (2021). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved from http://maps.google.com https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dongah+Apt./@37.377046,127.1322663,720m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4 !1s0x357b57f1a4f64377:0xeab232722771c26!8m2!3d37.377046!4d127.134455?hl=en.

6.Drawn by an author.

7.Photographed by an author.

8.Photographed by an author.

9.Photographed by an author.

10. Photographed by an author.

11.Kim, Ki-chan. The World of Alleways. May, 1978. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Malibu, CA. 12.Bukchon Hanok Village. (2021). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved from http://maps.google.com https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bukchon+Hanok+Village/@37.5824075,126.9814644,719m/data=!3m2 !1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x357ca2daaff8c14f:0xcdbcbaa9ffc9e59a!8m2!3d37.5824075!4d126.9836531?hl=en.

13.Drawn by an author.

14.Drawn by an author.

15.Unknown. A scenery from a pond. Digital image. Korea National Heritage Online.

Accessed April 26,2021. www.heritage.go.kr/heri/cul/culSelectDetail.do?ccbaCpno=1483701080000&pageNo=1_1_1_1.

16. Unknown. A scenery from a maru. Digital image. Korea National Heritage Online.

Accessed April 26,2021. www.heritage.go.kr/heri/cul/culSelectDetail.do?ccbaCpno=1483701080000&pageNo=1_1_1_1.

17.Drawn by an author 18.Drawn by an author 19.Gray, Jonathan. “The city of tomorrow - An essay.” jonathangraydesign. Unknown. https://jonathangraydesign.uk/the-city-of-tomorrow-an-essay.

20.Drawn by an author 21.Drawn by an author 22.Drawn by an author 23.Drawn by an author

Bibliography/Illustrations 64