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A Mimesis for a City of Books

¶ In 1980, some influential South Korean publishers joined forces to found a large publishing community with the in­tention to build Paju Bookcity, about 40 kilometres north of Seoul. Public interest was one of the major objectives in the planning of this city of books, designed by Seunh Hchioh Sang, Florian Beigel, Kim Jong Kyu, Kom Young Joon and Min Hyun Sik in 1999. The idea of the new city took into account the significant presence of high­quality authorial architecture and also of numerous European architects. The concepts of architecture and urban planning were based on an ecological approach, which balanced the publishing industry with the

fotografije photographs byportret portrait

Fernando GuerraFernando Guerra

Álvaro SizaCarlos Castanheira Jun Sung Kim

Mimesis Museum, Paju Book City, South Korea

Tadej Glažar

arhitekti architects

Mimezis za grad knjiga

napisa0written by

¶ Godine 1980. udružili su se utjecajni južnokorejski izdavači u osnivanju velike izdavačke zajednice koja je trebala realizirati podizanje Grada knjiga Paju, otprilike 40 kilometara sjeverno od Seoula. Jedan od važnijih ciljeva pri planiranju grada, koji su 1999. godine koncipirali Seunh Hchioh Sang, Florian Beigel, Kim Jong Kyu, Kom Young Joon i Min Hyun Sik, bila je briga o javnom interesu. Ideja novoga grada predvidjela je kvalitetnu autorsku arhitekturu, uza sudjelovanje i brojnih europskih arhitekata. Urbanistički i arhitektonski koncepti temeljili su se na ekološkom pristupu koji je uspostavio sklad između izdavačke industrije i kulturne uloge knjige, kao i

Muzej Mimezis, Grad knjiga Paju, Južna Koreja

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cultural role that books and their paraphernalia have in our lives. The city had to be designed to preserve the character of the river wetland landscape of 1.5 million square metres. The forceful grid of the urban fabric is intertwined with nature, which is represented by continuous strips of parks with the primal nature of the original wetland landscape, primarily in the area close to the river. The structure provided for three points with more intense urban contents, which would ge­nerate meeting places. These points were to be a shopping centre, a centre for events and large conferences, and a smaller cultural centre embodied by the art museum called Mimesis. From the aspect of urban planning, it is particularly interesting that the museum was placed at the bend of the main avenue of the city, so that the museum’s volume is constantly visi­ble when one moves towards the western part of the city.

However, the vista defies expectations as it does not end with the main front of the gallery. Instead, we are faced with a strictly rectangular light gray concrete wall with no ope­nings. The absence of openings and the large volume make the gallery stand out in the chaotic series of richly designed office buildings and immediately arouse intense interest and curiosity in the viewer. ¶ When we start circling the volume along the pure orthogonal walls, a side street opens into a green garden that leads to the gallery. It is from this point that the geometry of the constructed volume changes dra­matically. As a contrast to the orthogonal northern part of the volume, the southern part opens with an organic structure, a projection that we walk under to reach the narrowest part and the entrance to the building. The interior provides cleverly designed natural lighting and a continuous series of exhibition

sketch, Álvaro Siza

oris, broj 70, godina 2011 Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, Jun Sung Kim; Muzej Mimezis

svega što je s njom povezano u našem životu. Pri planiranju grada bilo je potrebno voditi računa o tome kako zadržati karakter močvarnoga riječnog krajolika na površini od 1,5 mili juna četvornih metara. Strogi raster strukture urbanog tki va prepliće se s prirodom koja se prezentira kontinuiranim trakama parkova u izvorno močvarnom pejzažu, osobito u po jasu uz rijeku. U toj su strukturi bile predviđene tri po­zicije intenzivnijega urbanog sadržaja, koje bi generirale mjesta susretanja. To su trgovačko središte, središte za pri red be i kongrese većih dimenzija te manje kulturno sre­diš te, koje se manifestira u Muzeju umjetnosti Mimezis. U urbanističkom smislu posebno je zanimljiv izbor lokacije u zavoju glavne gradske avenije, pa je njegov volumen muzeja trajno prisutan u vizuri pri kretanju prema zapadnom dijelu grada. No, suprotno očekivanjima na kraju vizure ne otvara se

glavno pročelje galerije, već nas dočekuje strogo pravokutno oblikovani svijetlosivi betonski zid bez otvora. Upravo zbog odsutnosti otvora i strukturiranja velikog volumena djeluje pojavnost galerije uvjerljivo pored kaotičnog niza bogato obli kovanih poslovnih zgrada u gradu pa tako u promatraču od mah pobuđuje posebno zanimanje, radoznalost. ¶ Kad poč­nemo pored čistih ortogonalnih stijena kružiti oko volumena, iz pokrajnje se ulice otvara ulaz u zeleni vrt iz kojeg se ulazi u galeriju. I upravo se s te točke geometrija građevnog vo lu­mena dramatično mijenja. Kao kontrast u od nosu na orto­go nalni sjeverni dio volumena, južni se dio otvara organski strukturiran s istakom ispod kojeg dolazimo do najužeg dijela i tu ulazimo u zgradu. U njenoj se unutrašnjosti, uza spretno oblikovano prirodno osvjetljenje, redaju u neprekidnom ni­zu izložbene i društvene prostorije. Postav stalne umjet nič­

skica, Álvaro Siza

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rooms and public rooms. The permanent art collection will be placed on the first floor, where the conditions are ideal for the exhibits because of the dispersed light and the sequenced spatial experience. The ground floor is designed for temporary exhibitions and presentations, which will also be held in the spacious café where large glass surfaces connect it with the park outside. The skilful design of volumes using the contrast between the geometric strictness and organic softness is one of the features of the extensive oeuvre of Álvaro Siza, seen in his design of galleries and museums such as Serralves or Iberê Camargo. ¶ The realization of the museum was undertaken by The Open Books Co., managed by Hong Ji Woong, who represents one of the most successful and culturally prominent publishers in South Korea. His interest in and commitment to the best European classical and modern literature was a

oris, broj 70, godina 2011 Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, Jun Sung Kim; Muzej Mimezis

ke zbirke bit će na prvom katu, gdje su svjetlosni uvjeti za izložene eksponate idealni zbog disperzije svjetla i sek venci pros tornog doživljavanja. Prizemlje je namijenjeno povre­me nim izložbama i prezentacijama koje će se održavati i u prostra noj kavani, koja se preko velikih staklenih površina po vezuje s vanjskim parkom. Vješto oblikovanje volumena pomoću kontrasta između strogoga geometrijskog i mekoga organskog prisutno je u opsežnom opusu Álvara Size, kao i pri oblikovanju galerijskog i muzejskog prostora, koji poznajemo i iz muzeja Serralves ili Iberê Camargo. ¶ Realizaciju muzeja preuzelo je društvo The Open Books Co., a vodi ga Hong Ji Woong, koji predstavlja jednog od najuspješnijih i kulturno istaknutih izdavača u Južnoj Koreji. Njegov interes i predanost vrhunskoj europskoj klasičnoj i suvremenoj literaturi imao je presudan utjecaj na odluku da projekt za Muzej Mimesis

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2nd floor planground floor plan

1st floor planbasement plan

1 servisno stubište service staircase2 spremište storage3 dizala za posjetitelje public lifts4 teretno dizalo freight lift5 wc za osoblje staff toilets6 tehnika technical area7 ukopani vrt sunken garden8 vertikalni kanal vertical duct9 ventilacija/svjetlo ventilation/light

1 dizala za posjetitelje public lifts2 predvorje mezanina mezzanine foyer3 dućan shop4 rupa void5 stube za drugi kat stairs to second floor6 servisno stubište service staircase7 wc za osoblje staff toilets8 osoblje administration staff9 sala za sastanke meeting room

10 direktor muzeja museum director11 ured office12 garderoba za osoblje/wc staff dressing room/toilets13 spremište za knjige storage for books14 svjetlik light well15 vertikalni kanal vertical duct

1 dizala za posjetitelje public lifts2 predvorje drugog kata second floor foyer3 stalne izložbe permanent exhibitions4 platforma za izložbe exhibitions platform5 teretno dizalo freight lift6 spremište storage7 spremište storage8 dvorište courtyard9 servisno stubište service staircase

10 vertikalni kanal vertical duct

1 glavni ulaz public entrance2 glavno predvorje main foyer3 recepcija/garderoba reception/cloakrooms4 privremene izložbe temporary exhibitions5 privremene izložbe temporary exhibitions6 café/restoran café/restaurant7 terasa terrace8 wc za posjetitelje public toilets9 wc za posjetitelje public toilets10 dizala za posjetitelje public lifts11 stube za mezanin stair to mezzanine12 teretno dizalo freight lift13 prostor za utovar loading bay14 soba za osiguranje security room15 servisni ulaz service entrance16 servisno stubište service staircase17 kuhinja kitchen18 spremište pantry19 servisna služba service20 vertikalni kanal vertical duct

podrum / basement

prizemlje / ground floor

prvi kat/ 1st floor

drugi kat /2nd floor

oris, broj 70, godina 2011 Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, Jun Sung Kim; Muzej Mimezis

tlocrt 2.katatlocrt prizemlja

tlocrt 1. katatlocrt podruma

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sectionssections

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presjecipresjeci

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considerable influence on the decision to order the design of the Mimesis Museum either from the Japanese architect Tadao Ando or from the Portuguese Álvaro Siza. According to him, the decision was taken in the mystical space of Siza’s Santa Maria church in Marco de Canavezes, a town in Portugal, where the high­quality architecture inspired him to order the project from Siza. Despite the great distance of the location, Siza agreed to make his second work in South Korea, with the help of his long­term collaborator Carlos Costanhiera and the Korean architect Kim Jun­Sung. To avoid exhausting trips, they used large­scale models in the scale of 1:20, which allowed them to almost physically feel the emerging spaces and see the effects of the light, making it easier to make the right final decisions. The construction and implementation took place in traditional South Korean conditions, which must have been difficult to control. Therefore, considering Siza’s refined and pedantic perseverance in creating perfectly rendered details which are part and parcel of the whole idea of the architectural work, it is quite understandable that his last visit before the opening of the museum was spent drawing temperamental sketches and giving instructions to repair and improve even the smallest details. ¶ Various texts about the Mimesis Museum in professional publications have often pointed out a causal relationship between the ground plan and Siza’s numerous drawings of local cats, made with his usual skill and passion. This connection, however, was already pointed out by Siza’s best friend Eduardo Souto de Moura before the Korean museum was designed. Still, I believe that the concepts of his projects primarily reveal an extremely rich and rational world of built and empty spaces, where Álvaro Siza is an undisputed master.

P. S. MIMESIS: the imitative representation of nature or human behaviour

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naruči ili od japanskog arhitekta Tadaa Anda ili od Portugalca Álvara Size. Po njegovim riječima odluka je donesena u mis­tičnom prostoru Sizine crkve Santa Maria u gradu Marco de Canavezes u Portugalu, gdje je nadahnut kvalitetnom arhi­tekturom čvrsto odlučio da upravo od Size naruči projekt. Una toč teškoćama zbog udaljenosti lokacije, Siza je prihvatio da u Južnoj Koreji realizira svoje drugo djelo uza sudjelovanje njegovih dugogodišnjih suradnika Carlosa Costanhiere i ko­rejskog arhitekta Kima Juna Sunga. Kako bi se izbjegla naporna putovanja, koristili su velike makete u mjerilu 1 : 20, što im je omogućavalo da gotovo cijelim tijelom osjete prostore u nastajanju i promatraju pristup svjetlosti. Tako je bilo lakše donositi pravilne konačne odluke. Izgradnja i realizacija odvi­jale su se u tradicionalnim južnokorejskim uvjetima, koje je dakako bilo teško nadzirati. Stoga je zbog Sizine izuzetne pedantnosti i ustrajnosti na savršeno izvedenim detaljima, koji su sastavni dio cjelovite zamisli arhitektonskog djela, posve razumljivo njegovo temperamentno skiciranje i inzistiranje na popravcima dok se to savršenstvo nije postiglo prigodom njegove posljednje posjete prije otvaranja muzeja. ¶ Muzej Mimezis se u različitim prikazima u stručnoj literaturi više puta povezuje s oblikovanjem tlocrtnog koncepta i mnogim skicama na kojima je Álvaro Siza vješto i sa strašću uobličavao tijela domaćih mačaka. Na tu je vezu, doduše već prije pro­jektiranja korejskog muzeja, prigodom izgradnje Muzeja Serralves ukazao Sizin najbolji prijatelj arhitekt Eduardo Souto de Moura, ali ipak mislim da je u konceptu njegovih projekata primarno prisutan iznimno bogat imaginarni i racionalni svijet izgrađenog i praznog, a time upravo Álvaro Siza majstorski vlada do savršenstva.

P. S. MIMEzIS: prikazivanje prirode ili ljudskih postupaka oponašanjem

autori authorsarhitektonski uredi architectural offices

koordinator projekta project coordinatorkoordinator izgradnje construction coordinator

suradnici collaboratorsinvestitor client

površina parcele site area izgrađena površina footprint area

ukupna površina total floor areaprojekt project

realizacija completedcijena costs

Muzej Mimesis, Grad knjiga Paju, Južna KorejaMimesis Museum, Paju Book City, South Korea

Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, Jun Sung KimUred u Portugalu / Office in Portugal: Carlos Castanheira e Clara Bastai – Arquitectos, Ld; Ured u Koreji / Office in Korea: h­ANdDalila GomesYoung­il ParkChungheon Han, João FigueiredoOpen Books Publishing Co.4650 m²1300m²4000 m²01. 2006 – 09. 200710. 2007 – 10. 2009nedostupna / undisclosed