Architecture here must be strong," says Moongyu Choi, the founder and principal of Moongyu Choi+GaA architects in Seoul, "because Korea has a difficult climate, with both cold and hot weather." No wonder concrete buildings dominate the cityscapes, and a muscular approach to space and form drives design. The people, too, pride themselves on their direct, forceful nature and love of fiery food. Delicate structures made of glass or lightweight materials just don't work well in Korea, says Choi. His own work combines a sculptor's feel for the bold gesture with a Minimalist's appreciation of planar surfaces. By contrasting heavy materials with transparent ones, solid elements with open ones, he has created buildings that are strong but not overbearing, memorable without being flashy.
Choi joins an impressive group of previous Design Vanguard architects from Korea—Byoungsoo Cho [RECORD, December 2004, page 140], Hailim Suh and Junsung Kim of Architecture studio himma [RECORD, December 2005, page 90], and Yoon Gyoo Jang and Chang Hoon Shin of UnSangDong Architects [RECORD, December 2006, page 74]. "We're friends and we stimulate each other," says Choi. "We share a common material sensibility, because we all work with concrete." Like many in this group, he studied abroad, in his case at Columbia University, in addition to earning his undergraduate degree in Korea. He also worked abroad—for Kohn Pedersen Fox and Steven Holl in New York, and Toyo Ito in Tokyo. Ito, in particular, left a strong impression on him. "I learned from him that architecture is about people and the way they live, not just space and form. He taught me to look at society."
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