[The Typing Baker] The Building You See Every Day Reveals a Different World When Viewed Again

Understanding Architecture Means
Knowing the World Better

30 Architectural Works Reflecting World Changes
See Diverse Worlds Through Different Perspectives

We live among countless buildings. Just as the three essential elements for humans are often cited as "clothing, food, and shelter (衣食住)," life without a home is impossible. The offices where we work, government offices we visit at least once, stations and terminals, and art galleries and museums we seek for mental rest?all are buildings enclosed by walls, pillars, and roofs. Our lives are a continuous journey between buildings.

But how well do we understand these buildings? Professor Yoo Hyun-jun, author of Yoo Hyun-jun's Humanities Architecture Journey, emphasizes that "if you can deeply understand about thirty buildings, you can know the world a little better." It may be difficult to find this in uniform, mass-produced architecture, but buildings are not simply made of 'gongguri' (a type of mortar); they are objects created through the meeting of human thought and the material world, allowing us to infer changes in the world through 'new ideas.'

Le Corbusier's 'Villa Savoye' [Image source=Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0]

The 30 buildings selected by the author in the book are symbols that either embody or lead changes in the world. In this regard, it is impressive that the first building introduced in the book is Villa Savoye. Le Corbusier, who designed it, is regarded as a figure who fundamentally transformed Western architecture by creating a new style using reinforced concrete pillars. The building could be lifted off the ground (pilotis), allowing free floor plans and fa?ades without being constrained by walls. Large windows, which had been possible only vertically, could now be made horizontally, and rooftop gardens could be created on flat roofs. Villa Savoye applies these 'Five Points of Modern Architecture.' Le Corbusier changed the world through architecture and permanently left his perspective on the world through his buildings.

Salk Institute in San Diego, California, USA [Photo by Lee Chunhee]

However, sometimes buildings are constructed with a focus solely on change, neglecting the people who inhabit them. The Richard Medical Research Institute designed by Louis Kahn is one such example. Kahn is considered one of the great architects of the 20th century. He designed the Richard Medical Research Institute with the clear intention of distinguishing between 'served spaces' and 'servant spaces.' His intention was clearly realized. However, researchers found the building inconvenient because it did not consider the nature of a research institute, where personnel frequently expand and contract. It was even called "the worst laboratory building I have ever worked in."

The next building Kahn designed was also a research institute. While designing the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Kahn created a magnificent courtyard that uses the sky as a fa?ade, showcasing outstanding aesthetics, while also reflecting the nature of the research institute. The research space was designed like a vast playground, allowing teams to freely expand or reduce their space at any time.

In the 'Closing Remarks,' the author emphasizes that the scientifically proven way to change a person's thinking is through 'space.' This is because the moment you enter a building imbued with the architect's philosophy, you can see the world through the architect's perspective. Even in the same space you encounter daily, if you can find slightly different viewpoints within it, you can develop a more diverse way of seeing the world through architecture.

Yoo Hyun-jun's Humanities Architecture Journey | Yoo Hyun-jun | Eulyu Publishing | 492 pages | 19,500 KRW