Icheon SKMS Institute

A gentle hill flows into another topography, shaped by the rich branches of the nearby chestnut trees and ginseng farms. The mystical first impression of a chestnut forest with its loosely spaced trees {for better quality, not quantity, of production}, the refreshing wetness of the land given by the morning dew, and the soft wind that rustles the young leaves and tree branches, wake up our senses. For the chestnut orchard to look so appealing today, much hard work went into reshaping the rugged hill over a long time. The spirit and memories of those who have cared for the rough environment, and the communication with nature that awakens our senses : It was believed that the former will explain the enterprising spirit, and the latter will free up our philosophical thinking. Our work being by looking for the potential of the land and by finding ways to build an architecture with minimum traces. The program is juxtaposed along the long boundary between the chestnut forest and the newly created site. Based on the simple method that shaped the nearby ginseng farm, we make sure that the building will be part of the scenery, and not a hard edifice. We create an environment where, throught this loose framework, a different time can be experienced at a longer pace, where nature is absorbed into architecture. Thus, this architecture becomes part of the environment, part of the continuum with the land, and a framework for thinking, through communication with nature. We hope that the traces we left will, over the years, become part of the land.

Icheon SKMS Institute by chang hyun park in Korea, South won the WA Award Cycle 4. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.