Song Hyun Jae Kukje Gallery / Urban Ark Architects

Kukje gallery, located in the historical and cultural hub in Seoul, has expanded its gallery spaces in order of K1, 2 & 3 since 1987. [1]Song Hyun Jae is the next step; which is to renovate an old [2]Hanok built in 1935 into cultural spaces. This project should be understood in the context of the entire art cluster formed by the Kukje galleries. Due to the staggered construction, the interconnection between the galleries was loose and the visitor’s spatial awareness of the entire cluster was low. Also, the area of Sogyeok-dong, where Kukje gallery is located, faces Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the last dynasty in Korea, so there was the issue of preserving tradition according to the District Unit Plan of the area. Therefore ‘urban ark architects’ thought that this project should play an active role as a contemporary medium for strengthening the spatial connection among the galleries while presenting the traditional aesthetics of the Hanok itself.