Minsuk Cho’s works in Seoul, South Korea, have made him well-known as an architect and founder of Mass Studies in Seoul. Minsuk Cho was born in Seoul in 1966 and completed his studies at Yonsei University and Columbia University. In the initial years of his career, he worked in OMA with Rem Koolhaas.
1988 marked the beginning of his career in partnership with James Slade, where they established their firm Cho Slade Architecture. He carried out various interior projects and renovation projects in New York during this time.
Besides being an architect, Cho is an active lecturer at various conferences and symposiums. He was the co-curator of the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale and the co-curator and commissioner of the 14th International Architecture Exhibition at la Biennale di Venezia. In late 2014, PLATEAU Samsung Museum of Arts Seoul featured his first-ever solo exhibition titled ‘ Before/After: Mass Studies Does Architecture’.
Ideology:
Minsuk Cho’s works revolutionized the perception of architecture in North and South Korea. To determine where the change was needed and what needed to remain constant, Cho studied the landscape and culture of Seoul.
Cho believes the context for a design is not just the spatial conditions but also the ever-changing social and cultural conditions. His designs are contextual but unique. Inspired by his experience in North America and Europe, he is developing Seoul for the constantly developing architectural needs.
The average life expectancy of a building in Korea is 30 years, so the architecture needs to serve a larger purpose and evolve with time. He believes in developing each of his designs to the level that it has a certain quality to endure for a long period while serving the changing needs of society.
“Important values can sometimes be lost or forgotten when we create a city, but we now need to translate them into a much denser and higher understanding of urban development. We need to create something that hasn’t existed before in a very fast way – a 21st-century format if you will.” – Minsuk Cho.
Korean Pavilion 2010:
Minsuk Cho’s designs include not only residential and commercial but also buildings which serve as public interventions. The Korean Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010 designed by him is based on the concept of convergence.
Due to its location, Korea’s culture is a blend of imported influences from China and Japan. The Pavilion has a playful configuration of space and signs.
Artist Ik Joong Kang designed the Hanguel, Koren alphabet, and cut it into aluminium panels and colourful tiles. The panels and tiles form various configurations of stepped corners, cut-outs, and volumes. The design takes maximum advantage of the views of the Huangpu River and the Shanghai city skyline surrounding the site.
Songwon Art Centre:
The Songwon Art Centre project presented Cho and the team with a unique site condition. Located in Buk-Chon, a street filled with Korean houses, the site is sandwiched between two steep inclining roads.
Adhering to the site conditions, Cho considered placing a few of the spaces of the building below the ground to maintain the sightlines with the neighbourhood above. Thus resulting in the two exhibition halls being placed below the ground and the restaurant and event spaces being on the upper floors.
“We neither wanted this project to become a compromise to the restrictions nor a mere negotiation between the contextual obligations,” said Minsuk Cho.
The team and Cho devised the form, facade and the planning of spaces, considering the site conditions and context. They developed a structural system that allowed them to fit the whole design brief into the small site while letting the building rise from the ground level.
Cho perceives every site restriction, design restriction, spatial condition, etc. with a positive approach to a unique design which can impact the people around. The team strives together to come up with holistic design solutions rather than focusing on only one aspect.
Methodology:
In 2003, when he returned to Seoul, he intended to develop Korea with his learnings and experience from his working days. With his team at Mass Studies, he has been working relentlessly to develop the urban fabric of Korea while adhering to its contemporary architectural style.
Minsuk Cho believes every project demands a specific form of research which needs to be addressed with intense curiosity and care. He adheres to his principles of doing work for nature and the people.
In an interview, he stated, “We have said ‘no’ to more projects because the majority of work in our profession is unnecessary or redundant, especially among many things, in terms of where our planet is currently.”
Apart from public projects, MInsuk Cho has contributed greatly to the residential and commercial architecture of Korea with his iconic projects including Pixel House, Missing Matrix: Boutique Monaco, Dom-Ino, and many more.
Minsuk Cho received the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014. In this exhibition, the Mass Studies team featured a portrayal of the Korean Peninsula, combining the architecture of both cultures and called it Crow’s Eye View – The Korean Peninsula.
Minsuk Cho received the recent selection by the Serpentine Pavillion to design the 23rd pavilion for the architectural community at the Kensington Gardens. He has named his design an ‘Archipelagic Void’, which consists of five islands surrounded by a small courtyard inspired by Madang – a Korean traditional architectural component.
Reference list:
ARCH OUT LOUD. (n.d.). Minsuk Cho. [online] Available at: https://www.archoutloud.com/minsuk-cho.html [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
Design, U.A. & U. (n.d.). UCLA Architecture and Urban Design: Behind the Podium: A few questions with guest speaker Minsuk Cho. [online] www.aud.ucla.edu. Available at: https://www.aud.ucla.edu/news-events/news/minsuk-cho-q-a [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
designboom, ridhika naidoo I. (2009). mass studies: korean pavilion at shanghai expo 2010. [online] designboom | architecture & design magazine. Available at: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/mass-studies-korean-pavilion-at-shanghai-expo-2010/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
Dezeen. (2014). Korea wins best pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale. [online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2014/06/07/awarded-best-pavilion-at-venice-architecture-biennale/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
Ocula (2015). Conversation with Minsuk Cho2. [online] Available at: https://ocula.com/magazine/conversations/minsuk-cho/.
www.e-flux.com. (n.d.). Before/After Mass Studies Does Architecture – Announcements – e-flux. [online] Available at: https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/30286/before-after-mass-studies-does-architecture/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].
