Layers of Earth and Narrative: Bangjja Yugi Museum for Bongju Lee’s Korean Brassware in Mungyeong
photographed by
Jang Mi (unless otherwise indicated)
materials provided by
Studio Heech
edited by
Kim Hyerin
SPACE August 2025 (No. 693)
According to Gaston Bachelard, the earth (terre) is a material that stimulates the human primal imagination, imbued with a sense of playfulness. As can be seen in a child building their dreams with earth, earth is not an industrial material, but one shaped by human touch—something to be ‘made’ and with which to ‘make’. Heechan Park, an architect who sees ‘making’ as central to his practice, calls forth the primordial image of earth within the Bangjja Yugi Museum for Bongju Lee’s Korean Brassware. Upon entering the building modeled after a hanok, a traditional Korean house, visitors are greeted by rammed earth walls that resemble a cross-section of geological strata. Following this narrative, we traced the materiality of nature, the texture of aged walls, and the bangjja yugi (Korean traditional bronzeware) crafted over long periods. Editor
Interview Heechan Park principal, Studio Heech × Kim Hyerin
Kim Hyerin (Kim): What was the initial request for the renovation of the Bangjja Yugi Museum for Bongju Lee’s Korean Brassware(hereinafter Bangjja Yugi Museum)?
Heechan Park (Park): The Bangjja Yugi Museum, located within the St. Joseph Healing Village in Mungyeong, which spans 123,498m2 and consists of 13 buildings, was originally used as a storage facility and temporary exhibition space for the bangjja yugi works of master Lee Bongju. The request was to renovate the existing building. Funded by the St. Philip Eco Village and Mungyeong City, the goal was to create a space where visitors could experience and appreciate the works of Lee Bongju, who is designated as Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property. The Bangjja Yugi Museum is currently pr...
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Heechan Park
Heechan Park studied architecture in Seoul and London, and was recipient of Bartlett travel scholarship to travel to Finland and study the work of Alvar Aalto in 2010. He also obtained the RIBA qualification in the U.K.. He founded Studio Heech in 2018 and is carrying out projects in the fields of architecture, industrial design, fabrication, and digital interaction. He was invited to exhibit his work at the Royal Academy in London in 2014. He received, KIA (Korean Institute of Architects) Award (building of the year 2020) for the Sanyang Brewery in 2020 and Today’s Young Artist Award presented by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2022. Studio Heech was shortlisted for Architectural Review’s Emerging Architects in 2023. He at the has exhibited Time for Trees as an artist for Korean Pavilion, 2025 Venice Biennale.
