The Arch: Forest of the light

서소문밖 역사유적지 현상설계 가작

2013

Project Location: Gyeonggi Korea

PARKKIM was shortlisted as one of the seven finalist of the Seosomun-Bakk Historical Site International Competition. The persecution of Catholics in Korea does not just pertain to the realm of one religion. Still, it ranges across the entire granularity of Korea’s tumultuous premodern history and tension with the West. As such, Seosomun- bakk should be a space of remembrance for the martyrs and others instrumental in establishing the Catholic church in Korea and, at the same time, a memorial for all those forgotten in our times.
The ground is emptied by locating all the required architectural programs underground to achieve that end. The undulating surface revealing the ceiling structure commemorates the site of execution without the help of any elements. The perforation on the ceiling is also revealed on the ground, mirroring the sky. By doing so, the site stands out from the complicated urban context and differentiates itself from other large-scale religious facilities. The existing underground structures are mostly kept, but arches are introduced as the dominant spatial language wherever the existing structure needs to be reinforced or a new structure built. For a big outdoor mass, people attending the assembly can occupy the entire ground, with an outdoor altar on top of the church.
In Seosomun-bakk, the light gets poured down to the underground during the daytime, and light from the underground soars toward the sky at night: it is the Forest of Light.