Tracing the Korean Pavilion

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Stage 7. Pavilion with Architecturally Resolved Design Adapted to Site Conditions | Building Permit Application Submission

1994.04.04

Undulating Wall
Trees
Staircase
Shutters
Deureogeolgaemun
Building Permit

Modeling Sources
Documents directly reflected in the 3D model for the corresponding stage.

Design Commentary
The design content and its development as documented in the archival records.

This is the proposal submitted to the City of Venice as part of the application for the Korean Pavilion's building permit and represents the architectural resolution of the physical and legal requirements consolidated through numerous rounds of consultation. The viewing balcony on the west side is adjusted into a form that splits in two directions in order to avoid disturbing the protected tree: a tree that cannot be cut down or relocated arbitrarily as it must be legally preserved newly discovered in the previous stage. The end of the undulating wall on the north side is likewise adjusted so as not to encroach upon the existing pedestrian path between the Russian and Japanese Pavilions. In the course of this process, the location of the restroom is moved from the end of the undulating wall to the upper portion of the cylinder mass on the east side, and a spiral staircase connecting to the ground floor is placed at the center of the cylinder, so that access to the rooftop terrace would pass through the interior of the Korean Pavilion. Wood is used for both the undulating wall and the external shutters: auxiliary shutters attached to the outside of a window in order to harmonize with the natural environment of the Giardini. The wooden shutters, which also function as a security device, are designed as a suspended structure: a structure supported by hanging from above operable by electric motor—intended to bring a modern mechanical aesthetic to the traditional image of the Korean architectural element known as the deureogeolgaemun: a door that is lifted and suspended in an open position. The design statement describes the progress of the consultations with the various authorities involved in the Korean Pavilion's construction and the architectural solutions developed in response to their requirements, making it an invaluable source to understanding the design.

Model Interpretation
Interpretations and judgments made by the research team in reconstructing the 3D model.

The Stage 7 design is contained in the building design approval application submitted by the Korean government to the City of Venice in May 1994 (MC-VB-01546). This document, titled 『Il nuovo padiglione della Repubblica di Corea ai Giardini della Biennale』 (The New South Korean Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale), comprises a design statement and basic drawings—including a site plan, floor plans, elevation drawings, and section drawings—as well as numerous projection and perspective drawings, making it possible to accurately understand and model the form and spaces of the building. With regard to elevation and aesthetic detail, the wires supporting the security shutters were included in the model, while the wires connected to the roof mast structure were not represented, as they do not appear in the drawings. Detailed elements, such as the form and volume of the railings, appear in the drawings at a level closely approximating the final design, and these were reflected accordingly.

Reference Documents
Documents that illuminate the context and circumstances of the period.

Tracing the Korean Pavilion in Venice