HONGDAE, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 홍대 , 서울, 대한민국 KEVIN GARCIA
URBAN CAVE
URBAN CAVE: A REFUGE FROM THE CITY 도시 동굴: 도시 피난처
THE URBAN CAVE
“The straight line belongs to Man. The curved line belongs to God...�
- Antoni Gaudi
1 INTRODUCTION pg. 9
2 SITE ANALYSIS pg. 19
5 CONCEPTUAL SKETCHES & MODELS pg. 65
3 GRAPHIC STUDIES pg. 45
6 PLANS, SECTIONS & ELEVATIONS pg. 89
9 FURNITURE DESIGNS pg. 123
4 PROGRAM DIAGRAMS pg. 57
7 CONSTRUCTION ASSEMBLY & DETAILS pg. 109
8 LANDSCAPE DESIGN pg. 117
10 11 INTERIOR SPACES pg. 133
RENDER pg. 143
12 APPENDIX pg. 147
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RODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTI
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THE THESIS In the explorations of material connections and the critical consideration of the void, the resultant subtractive spaces hold a tea table in an open site in hyper-dense Seoul, South Korea. With the position that the tea table is a tectonic expression of form, the architecture that shrouds the table complements it as a stereotomic form. The early conceptual building models developed from the melting of foam blocks with acetone, occasioning the composition of voids (some of which were planned and some of which were serendipitous). As a purely subtractive study, the space—through an intense iterative process—is constructed from sand-pile formwork. Once the concrete cures and the formwork is removed, the extraction of sand initiates a sense of rediscovery of the spaces. The totality evokes a figureground study. With each layer, the sand can be set to shape specific planned sections, further informing where tectonic interventions, required for structure and service spaces, should occur.
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Edouard Riou, The Cross Roads Illustration for Journey to the Center of the Earth by J. Verne, 1864
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Edouard Riou, The Guiding Stream Illustration for Journey to the Center of the Earth by J. Verne, 1864
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L’Illustration, Cave and Aquarium at the Universal Exhibition of Paris, 1867
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E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS I S
S I T E A N A LYS
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GLOBAL CITIES
London Paris
N.Y.C.
38th Parallel L.A.
Sao Paolo
Beijing
Seoul Tokyo
Dubai
Singapore
Cape Town
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Seoul
A M u l t i - L a y e r e d City City Border s
Jo s e o n P a l a c e s & M o n u m e n t s ( 1 3 9 2 - 1 8 9 7 )
1914
C o l o n i a l Ja p a n E n f o r c e m e n t o f Ke i j o ( 1 9 1 0 - 1 9 4 5 )
1936
Contemporar y Monuments & Parks (1953 - Present)
1949
Mountains & Green Spaces
1963
Han River
N
37.5665° N, 126.9780° E Urban Scale : 1” = 5000’
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CITY ATLAS: SEOUL
I
n order to understand the city’s complex urban fabric, it is fundamental to read into the origins of Seoul and how it came to be. Albeit there are other several crucial periods that may have influenced the foundation and expansion of the city, arguably there are three major time periods that laid the works for the current existing city: Early Joseon Dynasty, Imperial Japanese occupation (1910-1945), and Post Korean Civil War.
By 1394, the Joseon Dynasty1 moves the city from the sacked ancient capital city of Gaegyeong2 to Hanyang,3 due its spiritual location to the mountains and proximity to the Han River4 (Kim and Han 142). Influenced by Confucian philosophies like feng shui,5 the urban planning of Seoul was based on the placement of the palace between four mountains —functionally the mountains6 served as natural barriers from invaders as well as creating certain cultural boundaries for the city. With the anticipation of expanding the city over time—much like the medieval period in Europe—the steady building of city walls for protection correspondingly determined how Seoul would grow. Over time the city would resemble several rings around the palace in which the housing for 1 Founded by Yi Seong Gye and continued to rule until 1897 2 Prior dynasty’s (Goryeo) capital 3 Former name of Seoul during Joseon rule 4 The Han River was used as a major transportation connector between the city and rural areas 5 Chinese metaphysical ideals of harmonizing self with surrounding environment 6 Bugaksan, Namsan, Naksan, and Inwangsan also represented as cardinal directions
commoners would serve as infill within those boundaries. Apart from the selection of the city, axial progression from the palace to other vestibules of the city equally became an important factor. For instance, a strong and wide axial road was constructed to connect the palace and the business center of Jongno— which then acted as the main economic vein for the city—symbolic reference that the palace was responsible for the city’s prosperity (142). Naturally, as the city grew, that economic vein of the road became a crucial aspect to the stability of the dynasty. Thus, the organization of the city developed as an instrumental role into the Joseon Dynasty Era. It can be said that the palace provided as the metaphoric and literal nucleus for the city. Concurrently as what was happening in medieval Europe, Seoul was deeply concerned for its existence as the seat for economic power; moreover, it used urban organization and infrastructure as a method to maintain regional political control. However, after the fall of the Joseon Dynasty in 1897, Imperial Japan sought to use Seoul as their colonial capital, in effect renamed the city to Keijo. From 1910 to 1945, the repression of Korean culture by Japanese rule was evident in the reorganization of public spaces in Seoul (142). Seoul prior to 1910 was relatively arranged more organically, with the exemption of the Gyeongbuk palace complex. Housing and public spaces developed as the
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need arose; however, with the advent of Japanese occupation, there was an intentional disregard to the context of the city. The “superimposition of a radial and gridded system” allowed the colonial government to commercially connect Japanese dominated areas in the south (9). This urban renewal pushed the seat of control more south from the then traditionally Korean capital center of Jongno to Yongsan (7). Furthermore, this reform created an “uneven development” in Seoul, in which the Japanese communities were told fantasies of industrial growth whereas; the needs of the ethnic Korean communities were vastly ignored.7 This is clear in a recorded document of Mochiji Rokusaburo’s recollection8 in 1912; he saw the future for Keijo as, “A great colonial city in the [Japanese] empire and in the grand logic of the world, has come to stand in a position deserving notable attention as Korea’s railway connection to Asia” (8). Although the perceived intention was to “assimilate” the Japanese and Korean people together with their urban reforms, that simply was not true. The Japanization of the Seoul may have given the city the much needed transportation infrastructure but at the cost of gentrifying areas to benefit other Japanese expatriates (11). Through the colonial rule of Japan in Seoul, the story of gentrification and 7 “…officials neglected the area north of Koganemachi. Bisected by the [Cheongye Stream], this overpopulated and unsanitary part of Keijo was inhabited primarily by indigent Koreans (Henry 10)…” 8 Japanese veteran bureaucrat who was appointed as the head of Civil Engineering Bureau
marginalization of the Korean people only heightened as the cultural tension between the people continued. Large public spaces that were created by Japanese urban planners began to serve as impromptu theatres for public displays of outrage and riots (20). By the end of World War II, the dissolution of the Keijo began as the Japanese conceded to return Korea back to the native Koreans. However, the promise for a unified Korea would be held short, as the arrival of the Korean War would flatten the capital city. After three years of civil war,9 Korea was divided in two: North and South Korea. The war had economically drained the country as well as provided a blank canvas for the city (Yun 33). Nevertheless, due to pivotal decisions made in Seoul “industrializations and urbanization” occurred throughout the 1960s and 1970s (34). With that rapid development, the “mobilization of resources” allowed for improvements to infrastructure along with a demand for housing. As a response, an influx of concrete skyscraper apartments hastily erupted from the once flattened landscape—as “efficiency dominated discussions of urban problems.” However by the 1980s, the rise of population density and overall education in Seoul, guided many “Korean architects to accept the philosophies of the International Style…” which would lay the works for another urban renewal (35).
9 Korean War: Jun 25, 1950 – Jul 27, 1953
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1394
1398
1894-1895
Relocation to Seoul from Kaesong
Eight Great Gates built, fortifying Seoul from invasion
Sino-Japanese War; a war fought mostly in Korea
Gyeongbukgung Palace and Jogyesa temple built
City is taken from a Japanese Invasion
Joseon Dynasty dissolved
1395
1592
1897
27
1908
1925
1945
1948
Seodaemun Prison established; imprisioning any Korean protesters
Seoul Station opens
Japan leaves Korea after losing WWII
Seoul becomes official capital of the Republic of Korea
Japan annexes Korea and changes Seoul’s name to Keijo
Seoul expands city borders to encompass Cheongnyangni, Anam, and Sincheon
City renamed Seoul
1910-1945
1936
1946
28
1953
1969
1988
2004
Armistice signed between North and South Korea; dividing country at the 38th parallel
Namsan Seoul Tower built
Summer Olympics held
Dongdaemun Design Plaza opens
Korean Civil War
The Great Expansion: Gimpo, Gwangju, Siheung, Yangju, and Bucheon added to Seoul
Seoul Metropolitan Subway begins operation
Population reaches over 10 million citizens
1950-1953
1963
1974
1990
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PRESENT CITY CONTEXT
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N A T U R A L
B U I L T
S T E R E O T O M I C
T E C T O N I C
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T R A D I T I O N
M O D E R N I T Y
P U B L I C
P R I V A T E
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Throughout the 2000s to present day, much of the focus of the modern city has been turned to creating more public spaces and green spaces instead of efficient housing projects. By the 2000s, Seoul began to see citizens leaving the city due to limited public space conditions and high cost of living in the city. As a method to attract citizens back to the city, public architects have devised plans to create more parks. This can specifically be seen in the redevelopment of Cheongye Stream Public Park. The removal of a highway that sat above the stream allowed an opening for green spaces for the public. In general, the 2020 master plan for Seoul has started to see an emphasis of redevelopment of abandoned areas as a way to beautify the city (63). Due to recent political agreements between South Korea and North Korea, hopes for a more powerful and more unified Korea can be addressed for the future. With Kim Jong-Un and President Moon Jae-In seeing an end to the 65 year civil war, the potential to make Seoul a leader in the global economic sphere in Asia is a possibility. Therefore, what began as a country unified by feudal war and disrupted by foreign imperialism, made way for a truly multi-layered city that now becomes one of the world’s major global leaders.
33 CITY DISTRICTS
DOBONG
NOWON GANGBUK
EUNPYEONG SEONGBUK
JUNGNANG
JONGNO DONGDAEMUN SEODAEMUN
JUNG GANGSEO
MAPO
SEONDONG GWANGJIN YONGSAN
YEONGDEUNGPO
YANGCHEONG
SONGPA DONGJAK
GANGNAM
GARO SEOCHO
GWANAK GEUMCHEON
34 MAPO-GU
SITE
35 HONGDAE
SEODAEMUN
MAJOR PATH
MINOR PATH
MAJOR EDGE
MINOR EDGE
MAJOR NODE
MINOR NODE
MAJOR DISTRICT
MINOR DISTRICT
MAJOR LANDMARK
MINOR LANDMARK
36 ZONING
MID-RISE RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ZONE HIGH RISE COMMERCIAL ZONE SCHOOL ZONE PUBLIC PARK ZONE
37 CIRCULATION
SITE
MAJOR CAR TRAFFIC MINOR CAR TRAFFIC MAJOR PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT MINOR PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT
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SITE STREET VIEWS
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CITY SECTION A
110’
100’
90’
80’
70’
60’
50’
40’
BAR 30’
LIVING 20’
FOOD 10’
CAFE 0’
SHOP -10’
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CLUB FOOD SHOP LIVING OFFICE
LIVING
LIVING
OFFICE
K A R AO K E
LIVING
LIVING
OFFICE
FOOD
OFFICE
FOOD
FOOD
SHOP
BAR
SHOP
LIVING
CLUB
BAR
FOOD
SHOP
LIVING
CLUB
10’
20’
40’
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CITY SECTION B
90’
80’
70’
60’
50’
40’
30’
20’
10’
S U B WAY E N T R A N C E 0’
-10’
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10’
20’
40’
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HIC STUDIES
GRAPHIC STUDIES
GRAPHIC STUDIES
GRAPHIC STUDIES
GRAPHIC STUDIES
GRAPHIC STUDIES
03
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From the outside, the Korean city seems like a bricolage of architecture ranging from the traditional housing to the international-style buildings. Particularly in Seoul, there is an overlay of the old city and the globalized city. Seoul’s new found commitment to urban design could become the laboratory for defining the future of Korean aesthetic.
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The city is constantly in motion. Seoul’s existing urban conditions allows for the creation of large meeting places adjacent to historic monuments. The representation of the city as a cluster of monuments juxtaposed with the city, raises questions of how to create a successful public space while maintaining a balance with the existing conditions.
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The concept of the “city within a city� takes influence from traditional Korean housing communities. The playing of the voids between housings allows for the tesselation of shared spaces. In modern times, the multi programmatic building serves as an abstraction of that idea.
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52 This graphic provides an insight to how the architecture and the table heighten the experience of spectacle and meeting. Through tea-making, the table serves as the simple intervention for intimate conversation. How can the architecture begin to postulate similar conditions?
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The cave has historically provided shelter for man. There is a sentiment of protection, reflection and wonder. What if the conditions of the cave were to juxtapose with the actions of tea drinking and vice versa? Can that idea start to elevate the experience of the architecture?
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O G R A M D I AG R A M S
P R O G R A M D I AG R A M S
P R O G R A M D I AG R A M S
P R O G R A M D I AG R A M S
P R O G R A M D I AG R A M S
P R O G R A M D I AG R A M
04
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HONGDAE PEAK HOURS
0
1
3
4
WEEKENDS
WEEKDAYS
2
5
6
7
SCHOOL
EAT
MARKET LIBRARY
EXHIBITION
SHOPS
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
CAFE
8
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WHAT IF...
Cafe + Library + Green Spaces + Market + Shopping + Exhibitions
URBAN CAVE : A space for rest, recovery and reflection from the busy city
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62 PRIVATE OFFICES
private - private
private - public
SERVICE
LOUNGE
ENTERTAINMENT
RECEPTION
CAFE
ARCHIVE
LEISURE
INFO
GARDEN
LIBRARY
urban cave
public - private
public - public
FITNESS
EDUCATION
PARK
PERFORM
TOURISM
CITY
PUBLIC
SHOP
TRANSPORTATION
MARKET
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60,621 sf
60,621 sf
program usage by type
program reshuffled
administration operations non-ďŹ ction books ďŹ ction books bookshelves storage units operations reading lounge
cafe
playground
green spaces
public space
subway terminal
market
loading parking
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N C E P T UA L S K E TC H E S & M O D E L S
C O N C E P T UA L S K E TC H E S & M O D E L S
C O N C E P T UA L S K E TC H E S & M O D E L S
C O N C E P T UA L S K E TC H E S & M O D E L
05
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The beginnings of the project were to create intriguing public spaces. One of the concept model focused on how additive spaces could create various platforms of public space, while the other focused on voids and proportion.
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Through the initial investigations, the most important concept to the project was the relationship between figure and ground. The following images were quick studies of the overlay figure-ground studies and finding the relationships within those graphic components.
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The melted foam block studies, through acetone, provided some insight on how to threedimensionally represent the figure-ground study. Later rockite models indicate the progression of learning from failures and discovering techniques to refine certain spaces.
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A N S , S E C T I O N S A N D E L E VAT I O N S
P L A N S , S E C T I O N S A N D E L E VAT I O N S
P L A N S , S E C T I O N S A N D E L E VAT I O N S
P L A N S , S E C T I O N S A N D E L E VAT I O
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The following plans, sections, and elevations were drawn from the results of the final model.
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BASEMENT FLOOR
STORAGE
LOUNGE AREA
INDOOR GARDEN
ELEVATOR
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GROUND FLOOR
EXIT
PRIVATE ROOM
LOUNGE
CHIMNEY
BOOKSHELVES ENTRANCE
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SECOND FLOOR
TEA CAFE
LOUNGE
RESTROOM
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ROOF PLAN
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SITE PLAN
N
96
SECTION A
+20’ +18’
+10’
+3’
0’
-11’
97
SECTION B
+20’
+10’
0’
-3’
-11’
98
SECTION C
+20’ +18’
+10’
+3’
0’
-11’
99
SECTION D
+20’
+10’
0’
-3’
-11’
100
ELEVATION A
+20’ +18’
+10’
+3’
0’
-11’
101
ELEVATION B
+20’
+10’
+7’
0’
102
ELEVATION C
+20’
+10’ +8’
0’
-4’
103
ELEVATION D
+20’
+10’ +8’
0’
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106
107
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N S T R U C T I O N A S S E M B LY A N D D E TA I L S
C O N S T R U C T I O N A S S E M B LY A N D D E TA I L S
C O N S T R U C T I O N A S S E M B LY A N D D E TA I L S
CONSTRUCTI
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MODEL-MAKING PROCESS
STEP 1 Formwork construction
STEP 5 Remove concrete formwork
STEP 2 Build structural components
STEP 6 Remove sand to reveal void spaces
STEP 3 Infill planned voids with sand
STEP 7 Refine spaces with hammer and chisel
STEP 4 Pour concrete in 8� depth layers
STEP 8 Reuse sand to create hill landscapes
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STRUCTURE AXON
114
CIRCULATION AXON
115
STORAGE AXON
116
NDSCAPE DESIGN
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
08
118
The mountainous landscape surrounding Seoul provided a major influence into the landscape design of the project. In the design, mounds that surround the urban cave allow for exploration and a break from the rigid adjacent urban conditions.
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120
3
4 2
1 5 6
1
Cultural Library and Tea Pavillion
3
Line of Maple Trees
5
Reflecting Pond
2
Outdoor Market Stalls
4
Hill-Covered Subway Entrance
6
Small Public Amphitheater
N
121
122
RNITURE DESIGNS
FURNITURE DESIGNS
FURNITURE DESIGNS
FURNITURE DESIGNS
FURNITURE DESIGNS
FURNITURE DESIGN
09
124
The start of the thesis began with the design of the furniture. With the idea that the table and chairs could address the architecture, the furniture could ultimately become studies of assembly and construction materiality.
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The tea table design was the culmination of furniture studies. The construction of the table was to create a tectonic expression of form. Every detail of the table was designed without glue as a connector between parts.
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129 40.0000 33.0000 27.0000
102°
168°
95°
0.7500
1.0000
1.0000
3.0000
69°
85°
1.5000
43°
111° 132°
7.5000
26.0000
12.0000
22.5556
68°
118°
2.5000
2.5000
28.3571 33.3571
52.0000
0.7500 0.6250 1.5000
3.0000
1.5000
3.5000 2.0000
31.0000
42.0000
2.0000
46.0000
130
131
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N T E R I O R S PAC E S
I N T E R I O R S PAC E S
I N T E R I O R S PAC E S
I N T E R I O R S PAC E S
I N T E R I O R S PAC E S
I N T E R I O R S PAC E S
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134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
ENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
RENDER
REN
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144
This graphic illustration expresses the main intention of the project. The design of the urban cave was to bring together different communities of people yet fit into the historic context of the city. To an extent, the project was an attempt to preserve certain cultural monuments such as teamaking.
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PENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
APPE
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PRECEDENT RESEARCH
Christian Kerez: Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 Louis Kahn: Scottish Castle Drawings Anton Garcia-Abril: The Truffle, Tower of Landscape, Petrified Bridge Anton Gaudi: Parc Guell, La Sagrada Familia
Kerez: itecture Biennale 2016
n: tle Drawings
cia-Abril: Towers of Landscape | dge
di La Sagrada Familia
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A special thank you to my advisor Michael Ermann for providing me the resources, confidence, and inspiration. Thank you to my family for your unwavering love and support. Thank you to my roommates: Curt, Kchan, and Phi for food adventures, workout sessions, and pep-talks. Thank you to all my study abroad friends and professors back in Seoul for giving me an experience of a lifetime. Without you all, I would not be the man I am today.
The modern hero chooses between two worlds, one of the cosmos: the limitless and unexplored. The other towards the cave: the intimate rediscovery of the self.