Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
London-based Gilles Retsin Architecture has unveiled its entry for the Suncheon Art Platform competition, an arts center formed by a low, horizontal structure that frames a series of courtyards and squares in Suncheon, Korea.
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
These courtyards will be composed of four main public spaces —a central events courtyard, a sculpture courtyard, a garden courtyard, and an entrance square—each of which is intended to connect and nurture the various programs surrounding it.
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
The architects explained that “overall, the design will consist of 278 standardized, large-scale, engineered timber elements, which combine together into a highly differentiated spatial assembly. These blocks are initially structurally weak but gain strength through redundant combination.”
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
This system is a technologically advanced construction method based on Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), a method of prefabricating stiff hollow tubes in straight or L-shaped pieces. The hollow insides of these tubes can then be utilized for HVAC installations, services, and museum lighting.
Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
Furthermore, this construction method reflects traditional Korean architecture and timber construction, which features similar spatial organization and timber jointing.
- Architects: Gilles Retsin Architecture
- Location: Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do, South Korea
- Team: Gilles Retsin Architecture: Gilles Retsin, Lei Zheng, Dongwhi Kim
- Engineering: Tim Lucas, Price & Myers Consulting Engineers
- Photographs: Courtesy of Gilles Retsin Architecture
Learn more about the project here, and see the winning design here.
News via Gilles Retsin Architecture.
Sig Nordal 