Learning modern architecture in Seoul : city reconstruction and megastructure during the Cold War compared to cases in West Germany

Abstract

In the late 1960s, due to the lack of urban infrastructure, a number of modern megastructures were built in Seoul. However, the perception of South Korean architecture which built in this time is generally negative. Moreover, these buildings are also alienated and largely omitted from the history of world architecture. This thesis is intended to reveal that these buildings exemplified the contemporaneity of modern architecture at the time. To prove this, this study chose subjects such as megastructures, particularly commercial apartments, built in the late 1960s. And West German cases were selected as a basis for comparison. The reason is the commonality of the urban histories of Korea and Germany. First, in the 1960s, both Korea and Germany urgently needed post-war reconstruction. Second, they were divided. In the late 1960s, both Korea and West Germany experienced extraordinary shifts in political and geographical positions during the Cold War era. This was a factor that clearly influenced architecture at the time. The study begins by exploring the description of global architectural history and architectural background from various angles. After that, it analyzes the urban environment in West Germany (BRD) and the urban situation in Seoul. Finally, it describes the process of transplanting the modern architecture of the 1960s to Korea and analyzes the cases of megastructures born as a result. The cases are Sewoon Shopping Center, Nakwon Shopping Center, Schlangenbader Straße Autobahnüberbauung, and Mundsburg Center and Tower. As a result of the analysis, all of these cases were born from the concept of contemporary megastructure and played the same role in the city. The differences between architectural technology, capital, and architectural processes originated from the differences between the architectural environments of Korea and Germany. At the time, Korea was in the nascent stage of learning and experimenting with modern architecture, while Germany was leading the implementation of modern architecture and was at the forefront of developing technology. In conclusion, it can be said that modern architecture played a central role in post-war Korea in the 1960s. Modern architecture, which entered Korea during this period, expanded upon the traditional architecture layer. Korean architects designed the megastructure as an experiment to apply the newly learned modern architectural concept within Korean tradition and aesthetics. Of course, the comparative cases in this paper are limited. However, it is meaningful that the results of Korean architects' participation in the modern architecture flow at the time were objectively confirmed through the comparison of the cases of Germany, the origin of the modern architecture concept. In addition, it is expected that this paper will serve as a starting point for a broader and more diverse comparative analysis of Korean and world architecture in the future.