Past reflector

British Embassy in Jeongdong

2015, 6th semester in Hongik Univ.

Personal project

The Deoksugung stonewall walkway, which belongs to the British Embassy district, which has been closed for 120 years, will open. So, the British Embassy will need to be changed. How should we respond to two 120-year-old buildings on the British Embassy site for renovation?

SITE ANALYSIS

Due to the recovery of Deoksugung Palace, it will be necessary to dismantle some of the British Embassy facilities, and both the 120-year-old embassy building and staff housing building will be changed from the way of ordinary citizens. In line with these changes, it will be possible to embrace the culture of Jeongdong while satisfying the functions of embassies required in modern society by inserting functions such as exhibitions, cafes, and conventions in the British Embassy buildings.

CONCEPT

Jeongdong, where the British Embassy is located, is a city where modern heritage from the past has spread out. These old buildings can be like charcoal. As the wood grows into charcoal over time, it darkens in its original color and creates deep subjectivity. The building also shows its identity as time goes by.

Jeongdong is a place where there are a lot of modern cultural heritages. But there is no place in Jeongdong where two buildings with a history of 120 years are in the same place except for the British Embassy district. In this respect, the site can be a place to further maximize the atmosphere. So, I suggest reflecting the cultural flow by renovating.

In this project, I expect to maximize the existence of two old embassy buildings at the same time with the extension. To do this, I suggest splitting the site to appreciate each buildings before the last sequence, and use the reflectivity of the glass and granite wall to guide the flow of human traffic or to suggest the presence of the building, so that the whole image can be displayed at the end.