SPACE April 2025 (No. 689)
Completion ceremony and orientation for SPACE Student Reporter ©Kim Hyerin
Chung Isak, delivering a lecture ©Kim Hyerin
On Feb. 25, SPACE held the 19th student reporter completion ceremony and the 20th student reporter orientation at EAGON HAUS, the showroom of the EAGON head office. Since 2001, SPACE has run a student reporter programme to promote greater accessibility and interaction within the architectural field. This initiative aligns with the philosophy of Kim Swoo Geun, who founded SPACE in 1966 and used the magazine as a medium to foster connections with the artistic field and to advance the field of architecture. At the modernisation event, editor-in-chief, Kim Jeoungun reflected on the history of SPACE as a platform that has spanned and cultivated architectural culture. The event proceeded with an introduction of the editorial team, a presentation of certificates to the 19th student reporters and activity reports, awards for outstanding student reporters, an overview of the 20th student reporters’ activities, and a lecture by Chung Isak (professor, Dongyang University).
Chung’s lecture was linked to SPACE, No. 683, which featured his work in the FRAME section, as well as the newly published Growth Layers: The Remodelling Documentation of Cheongpadong House (2025), for which he was a contributing author. He suggested that architecture should be ‘Colorful and Flat’. While the Parthenon, celebrated by modernist architects such as Le Corbusier as an ideal of purity, now seen as a white structure, it was originally a vividly coloured space. By highlighting the discrepancy between a commonly assumed history and actual historical facts, Chung emphasised the gaps in our understanding of the past. He referred to such unrecorded history as ‘the world of the remainder’ or ‘the second world’. He imagined how architecture might have developed if this history had not been omitted, exploring the period of Korean modernisation rather than Western modernisation. Chung’s thoughts and explorations are reflected in works such as Fish Cart (2023) and Cheongpadong House (2023).
The Cheongpadong House is a remodelling project of a hybrid Western- Japanese style house built by a Japanese person in the 1930s. The house, which combines Western and Japanese styles, has been adapted to the climate found in Korea over time. Chung approached the project by considering what to retain and what to add, embracing the characteristics brought by constructing it at the time it was originally built. As a result, Cheongpadong House respects the history of the house, addressing issues and inconveniences while paying homage to the original intentions and ornamentation.
The story of the Cheongpadong House, which holds layers of time like tree rings, was recently published in Growth Layers: The Remodelling Documentation of Cheongpadong House. This archival book was co-authored by Chung Isak, Zee Yonsoon (principal, space exploration lab), and Jo Jaeryang (principal, Songryeonjae), who all recognised the cultural and architectural value of the house. It includes architectural photographs by Roh Kyung and covers not only the remodelling process but also maps depicting the evolution of the Cheongpadong are over time, the house’s physical transformations, its unique features from a carpenter’s perspective, interviews with former residents, and records of forums and exhibitions held to explore and share the significance of Cheongpadong House. The 20th student reporters will participate in the programme until Feb. of next year.
