Schemata Architects embraces rough material finishes for gallery in Seoul
CategoriesArchitecture

Schemata Architects embraces rough material finishes for gallery in Seoul

The rough finishes of an existing concrete and brick structure are contrasted by white exhibition spaces at Arario Gallery in Seoul, completed by Japanese studio Schemata Architects.

The gallery is located at the rear of the Space Group Building, a modernist icon in South Korea that houses the Arario Museum.

Designed by architect Kim Swoo-geun, the grey-brick, heritage-listed building was completed in the 1970s and converted into the museum in 2014.

Exterior of the Arario Gallery in Seoul by Schemata ArchitectsExterior of the Arario Gallery in Seoul by Schemata Architects
Arario Gallery sits alongside the grey-brick Space Group Building

Alongside this building is a glazed extension from the 1990s by architect Jang Se-yang, a student of Swoo-geun, as well as a traditional South Korean home, or hanok, which was relocated to the site when it reopened in 2014.

Amid this architectural backdrop is a brick and concrete structure added to the site in the 1980s, which Schemata Architects was tasked with converting into the Arario Gallery.

“It was a great challenge for me, a Japanese architect, to work on the third building – excluding the hanok – especially after seeing the perfect contrast between the two buildings already created by the master and the disciple,” said Schemata Architects Principal Jo Nagasaka.

Interior of the Arario Gallery in Seoul by Schemata ArchitectsInterior of the Arario Gallery in Seoul by Schemata Architects
The gallery spaces are contained in white rooms

Looking to create a space that “looks unchanged on the outside”, the studio retained the building’s structural frame and dark brickwork, originally chosen to complement the Space Group Building.

“In this context, we thought that inserting another unique feature into the landscape would not be appropriate,” explained Nagasaka.

White gallery interior with grey brick floorsWhite gallery interior with grey brick floors
Brickwork extends across the floor of the basement

Organised across four floors and a basement level, the white-walled gallery spaces sit alongside the existing staircase, lift, service and storage areas, where the structure’s rough material finishes have been left exposed.

In these more industrial-feeling spaces, walls have been made using plywood on metal frames. Teamed with metal doors and white metal balustrades, they deliberately stand out against the “skeleton” of the existing building.

In the basement, the dark grey brickwork of the adjacent museum is mirrored in a brick floor that extends throughout the space.

On the third floor, sections of the exterior wall were removed to create a full-height glass wall in the VIP area. This looks out towards the nearby Changdeokgung Palace and a surrounding park, also visible through windows in the stairwell.

Concrete stairwell with white stairsConcrete stairwell with white stairs
White metal accents highlight new additions to the Arario Gallery

“In this way, we established repetitive patterns where visitors would emerge from the white cube into a skeleton space and see the palace beyond as they ascend to the upper floors,” said Nagasaka.

Lounge area in Seoul by Schemata ArchitectsLounge area in Seoul by Schemata Architects
Large windows in the Arario Gallery overlook Changdeokgung Palace

Schemata Architects is a Tokyo-based studio, Founded in 1998 by Nagasaka after he graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts.

Its previous projects include a public bathhouse in Tokyo finished with turquoise tiles and a hillside guesthouse and bar for a home on the coast of an island in the Seto Inland Sea.

The photography is by Yongjoon Choi.



Reference

BDR Architekci clads columbarium in Poland with pale sandstone
CategoriesArchitecture

BDR Architekci clads columbarium in Poland with pale sandstone

Pale sandstone walls bring a “warm and welcoming” feel to this columbarium in a cemetery in Radom, Poland, which has been completed by local studio BDR Architekci.

Located in the centre of Radom Municipal Cemetery – one of the largest cemeteries in Poland – the columbarium has 2,000 storage niches for funeral urns, organised across six chambers that surround a central open-air chapel.

The chambers are enclosed by sandstone-clad walls of varying heights and designed by BDR Architekci to provide space for “peaceful reflection” without religious references.

Plan view of cemetery in Poland by BDR ArchitekciPlan view of cemetery in Poland by BDR Architekci
The columbarium comprises six chambers organised around an open-air chapel

“We tried not to refer to symbolism or look for metaphors,” BDR Architekci co-founder Konrad Basan told Dezeen.

“We focused on the function, the material, the proportions. We wanted to build a place open to people, full of greenery, with its own structure and order,” Basan added.

The site is accessible from all directions in the cemetery, with paved routes weaving between each of the chambers and around curved areas of planting.

Six chambers of the columbarium complex in Radom, PolandSix chambers of the columbarium complex in Radom, Poland
The chambers provide 2,000 niches for the storage of funeral urns

In each of the open-topped chambers, four walls filled with niches surround a central space with trees and a bench. There is also an opening leading to the central chapel.

“Creating such a large columbarium required space organised in a clear and welcoming way,” said Basan. “That’s why we divided such a large burial area into six smaller chambers, giving it a sense of intimacy.”

Open-air chapel in Radom, Poland, by BDR ArchitekciOpen-air chapel in Radom, Poland, by BDR Architekci
Openings in each chamber lead to the central chapel

Built with a concrete structure, the pale sandstone cladding of the complex was selected due to its locality to Radom and its use on the facades of many important buildings in the city.

Alongside the new chambers, BDR Architekci also clad an existing 1980s pre-burial house with matching sandstone to unify it with the rest of the complex.

“We wanted it to be warm and welcoming, but also for the stonemasons’ craftsmanship to be evident in the way it was cut and laid,” explained Basan.

“As a result, the columbarium clearly contrasts with polished black marble tombstones [in the surrounding cemetery],” he continued.

Enclosed chamber at columbarium complex in PolandEnclosed chamber at columbarium complex in Poland
Each chamber is also finished with trees and a bench

In the open-air chapel, a wall features a verse from The Laments by the Renaissance author Jan Kochanowski who lived nearby.

“The only element that was consciously designed to carry any specific message was the use of a quote from lament number eight,” explains Basan.

“It seems that the columbarium is a suitable background not only for it but particularly for the course of a funeral,” he said.

Niches found at columbarium by BDR ArchitekciNiches found at columbarium by BDR Architekci
Sandstone was chosen for the cladding due to its locality to the site

BDR Architekci was founded in 2015 by Basan, Paweł Dadok and Maria Roj and is based in Warsaw.

Other cemetery projects featured on Dezeen include a visitor centre for the Netherlands American Cemetery by Kaan Architecten and a ceremonial hall at Longshan Cemetery in China.

The photography is by Jakub Certowicz.


Project credits:

Architect: BDR Architekci
Team: Konrad Basan, Paweł Dadok, Maria Roj, Michał Rogowski
Investor: Municipality of Radom
Structural engineer: TMJ Projekt
Services engineer: Joanna Szczudlik
Electrical engineer: Jarosław Maleńczyk
Landscape architect: La.Wa Architektura Krajobrazu, Łukasz Kowalski

Reference