[Power K-Women] "The Power of Space Breaking Gender Roles... Creating Added Value through 'Coliving'"

"Material Environment Influences Lifestyle"
Sharing Economic Value of Daily Life through 'Coliving'
Dreaming of Diversity such as Gosiwon Transformation and Generational Coexistence

Editor's NoteAsia Economy will select women who are active not only in Asia but around the world as 'Power K-Women' at the Women's Leaders Forum to be held this October. Individuals who have overcome and broken down boundaries such as race, nationality, and disability have been chosen as 'Power K-Women.' This is to widely promote the value of those who have not been intimidated by discrimination or confined by boundaries but have fought back, in order to convey new values of leadership to youth and women. Their stories will provide comfort to a weary world, become role models for someone, and give the community the strength to move forward again.
Date ｜ Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 9:00 AM ? 5:20 PM Location ｜ Lotte Hotel Crystal Ballroom (2F), Sogong-dong

[Asia Economy Reporters Kyungjo Noh, Seoyul Hwang] "There is a saying that 'all spaces are political,' and politics ultimately means 'relation.' How we interact and treat each other is unconsciously embedded in the space."

Architect Melody Song continued in somewhat awkward Korean. She recounted the moment she became interested in 'architecture' and reflected on the organic nature of space. Furthermore, she emphasized that for her, a project (P) is "showing that the material environment can change for socially vulnerable groups, women, and minorities, and that there are various forms of life."

Assigning Value to Women's Housework... The Beginning of 'Co-Living'

Architect Song Melody is being interviewed at Boda Architecture in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on August 22. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Climbing a steep alley in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, you can see a fan-shaped building with large silver speakers on both sides and a central glass panel. This is a space shared by the architecture firm Boda Architects, led by Song, and the employees of tenant companies.

Inside the building, LP records filling more than half of one wall over two floors catch the eye. In front of them are brown tables and sofas on a wooden floor. Song introduced this space as "a place that serves as a lounge for everyone and also as a meeting room." It is a microcosm of co-living within the workplace.

Co-living is a residential form that Song first introduced to Korea through 'Treehouse' in Yeoksam-dong. In a broad sense, it means 'how to live together.'

She cited ancient European cities such as Knossos on Crete Island, saying, "Back then, people lived separately yet together in a complex where a single castle was the city itself or where roofs were all connected." She added, "Today, we internalize that 'cities (for example) all look like A,' but that is not true." She explained, "(Co-living) is a project thinking about how cities can be eco-friendly and provide various options for individual development within communities."

This is based on the premise that "the power given by space and environment is strong." Song said, "Our way of life can be found in the surrounding material environment," and cited the changes in women's roles and status in American society from 1860 to the 1920s as a good example. These changes are detailed in the book The Grand Domestic Revolution by Dolores Hayden, a professor at Yale University.

Borrowing from the book, she said, "At the end of the 19th century when cities were emerging, people had rich imaginations about how to live. Women who had been devoted only to home care began to think for the first time, 'Could we live differently?'" To support this idea, women activists argued for the economic value of housework and designed houses without kitchens to enable communal childcare. This was also the point where Song began to think about the 'added value created by space.'

The English word 'economy' actually originates from the Greek compound 'oikonomos,' which combines 'oikos' meaning house and 'nomia' meaning regulation. Regarding this, Song said, "In capitalism, if work like housework is not given economic value, social recognition decreases. However, most human work is being automated, and average life expectancy is increasing. We need to recognize how precious it is to participate in everyday life activities like eating, drinking, cleaning, and living together."

"Dreaming of Added Value Created Together Through Generational Coexistence and Time Exchange"

Architect Song Melody is being interviewed at Boda Architecture in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on August 22. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Not only in Treehouse but also in the 'Co-Living Houses' that Song will create in the future, the economic value of everyday life can be shared. This also breaks down fixed gender role stereotypes.

She said, "The framework of thought is also formed by space. Usually, people don't think much about 'moving or breaking walls,' but if you realize you can change such frameworks, your thinking becomes much freer."

This flexible thinking supports co-living houses. Traditionally, within the family unit inside an apartment, parents and children had their respective roles, but in co-living houses, individuals move as cells. In the common spaces formed by these cells, people cook and do laundry together, while in private spaces, they have time to focus entirely on themselves. Song's idea that housework is not just a duty assigned to certain people but can create real added value is realized here.

Song said, "In modern society, people work 24 hours a day without realizing it," adding, "I wanted to make it possible to control time and space." She further explained, "Just as flowers bloom fully under sunlight, if the surrounding environment is not violent, people's hearts open. Creating such an environment is the power of an architect."

So, what will the next co-living house look like? She is planning to transform goshiwon (small, cheap dormitory-style rooms). Goshiwons are places where many people live in one house but give a 'formless and only sound' feeling of fear. Song said, "If we can compensate for these safety shortcomings, there is no better residential form for co-living houses than goshiwons." She is considering creating goshiwons with high ceilings and outdoor spaces in movable forms in public parking lots within Seoul.

In Korea, where residential forms are uniform, Treehouse brought diversity as the first co-living house, but this is just one example. She emphasized repeatedly, "I am an architect, not an artist. I want to show other ways we can live together in society."

For example, she dreamed of co-living houses where multiple generations coexist, not just people of similar ages living together as now. She also called for innovation in management methods. Song said, "If tenants pay a deposit, the landlord gives stocks (shares of the building's value) in return, and they grow the value together." She explained, "In this case, the longer tenants live, the more stocks they have, and to increase that value, they pay more attention to building management, creating a virtuous cycle."

Furthermore, she mentioned 'time exchange,' where the time spent helping each other with what each person is good at within the community can be used as currency. She said, "Real estate best shows how the environment influences values," and added, "I will create co-living houses that recognize all activities, including housework, as economy, create added value, and enable sustainable living."

Who is Melody Song?

▲ Born in 1990 ▲ Architect
▲ Co-CEO of Boda Architects and HAP Hospitality Group
▲ Bachelor of Anthropology, New York University
▲ Master of Architecture, Yale University
▲ MBA, INSEAD Singapore Campus
▲ Planned and designed Jeju Moseulpo Hotel in 2022
▲ Designed and operated Kolon House Vision shared housing ‘Treehouse’ in 2019, among many other works
▲ Winner of multiple awards including the 2021 Seoul Urban Architecture Biennale Work Award