DESIGNING THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE WITH PUBLIC ART PROJECTS: SOAP
Kim Yeram (Kim): SOAP runs an architectural firm to conduct builing projects and the Museum SODA, which is dedicated to installations and exhibitions. You maintain a horizontal relationship between your two design teams. I would like to hear more about how you came to operate your design studio in this way.
Kwon Soonyup (Kwon): When I came back to Korea after finishing my study, I had concern about how best to organise my architectural firm. At that time I noticed that many architectural firms were under the control of one architect, particularly in terms of their design approach. It is often assumed that the privileging of a principal architect’s style makes it easier to build a house style and identity, but I think it this approach inevitably exhausts the inner resources of the architect. In the same way that a relationship respects individual personal abilities and opinions so that each party can be improved in some way, I decided to establish a studio that would place its emphasis on teamwork.
Chang Dongsun (Chang): Museum SODA is the renovation of a large uncompleted (public bathhouse in Korea) as a cultural art facility. This museum, our first project, provided the opportunity to bring together experts from across various design genres. This is because the scope of work was too wide. While architectural projects usually develop designs after the use is decided, we were responsible for everything from deciding building programmes to establishing the
