condenCITY_58 lines and curves

Rational expressions and organizations, at least in a coherent sense,  as experienced momentarily in Seoul. New commerce rises out of formless city streets. Lines (and the occasional curve) replace the non linear city. While Gangnam can hardly be considered historic by any stretch of the imagination, its roots and side streets retain characteristics of Seoul's urban past. With each new high-rise tower these woven traits of unplanned urbanity slip away. 

Seoul has become linear. 

condenCITY_57 seoul adaptations 1.2

mobile garments_ Seocho-dong 


......[or anywhere]

condenCITY_56 city of refugee

Seoul has been a city of refugee for decades. It's massive growth through the mid-twentieth century was fueled by rural migrations and immigration from abroad. People seeking new opportunity and promotion flocked to the city. Today, Seoul faces a new population of refugees hoping to find political, idealogical and economic freedoms. Ironically, this marginalized population of defecting North Koreans, is given relatively little assistance when faced with issues of housing equality and option. 

This semester, graduate students at Konkuk University will be researching and designing 'transitional' refugee housing for North Korean defectors, to be sited in a quickly changing district within Seoul city boundaries.  A silenced topic (one rarely discussed amongst local design professionals and government collaboration) will be placed at the forefront of discourse with an end of the semester exhibition  of works to be held at Prugio Gallery in Seoul.