Under the roof
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“Roof Sentiment,” designed by Society of Architecture (SoA), is installed in front of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA) in central Seoul. The architecture won MMCA’s Young Architects Program 2015. Left is Kang Ye-rin of SoA, right is Lee Chi-hoon of SoA / Courtesy of MMCA
'Roof Sentiment' brings reed field into museum
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A winding roof made from reeds has arrived in the yard of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA).
This is “Roof Sentiment,” which won the Young Architects Program 2015 at the MMCA, designed by Lee Chi-hoon and Kang Ye-rin of the Society of Architecture (SoA). The program is supported by Hyundai Card.
The structure is held in place by support beams and gives a sharp contrast to the urban scenery close to the museum. The MMCA Seoul building consists of square structures of concrete and glass, but “Roof Sentiment” is curved. Under the structure, it provides shade, blocking out the clear blue sky.
/ Courtesy by Cho Sang-won
It resembles the traditional roof of Gyeongbokgung Palace, which is just across the street from MMCA Seoul. Visitors can see the main royal palace from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) as well as Inwangsan Mountain through the reed structure.
SoA’s “Roof Sentiment” is a sensory experience. In addition to the visual effect, visitors can smell the pine bark and listen to the sound of wind blowing through the reeds.
“Traditional concept of sloping roof is disappearing in modern architecture and we wanted to look back on the older methods at MMCA Seoul, which has many ‘hanok’ (Korean traditional house) in the neighborhood,” Lee of SoA said. “Reed is a material that can bring the sense of nature to the city.”
SoA has been collaborating with artists from various genres, expanding the range of their works. The team participated in the Gwangju Design Biennale in 2011, created costumes for dancers Kwak Go-eun and Gong Yong-sun at the “Usual Unique Act” at the Seoul Museum of Art (SEMA) in 2013 and recently designed the structures for the G-Dragon exhibit “PEACEMINUSONE: Beyond the Stage” at SEMA.
In addition to the outdoor installation, an exhibit complementing the project presents how SoA had the idea of the reed roof at the museum, alongside portfolios of the four finalists — Kook Hyoung-gul, NOTION Architecture and Viktor Jan, NAMELESS Architecture and CTR; plot.
The installation can be viewed through Sept. 30. For more information, visit www.mmca.go.kr or call (02) 3701-9500.