Alliance teams led by School of Architecture takes 1st and 2nd place at the '2014 Bio-Digital City Seoul International Event'
Creative ideas and architectural completeness on 'urban farming architecture'
[Aug 28, 20148]

<School of Architecture students who took 1st and 2nd place at the ‘2014 Bio-Digital City Seoul International Event’>
(from top left to right, Jung Yoo-jin, Kim Ji-eun, Bae Jin-sol, bottom row from left to right Jung Tae-gwon, Shin Yong-hwan)

 The YU School of Architecture is being reborn as the cradle of next-generation architectural experts.

 An alliance team made up mainly of YU students won the 'French Ambassador to Korea Award' and the 'French Cultural Center Director of Korea Award', which are 1st and 2nd places, at a workshop held during the '2014 Bio-Digital City Seoul International Event'.

 YU School of Architecture students Jung Tae-gwon (24, 2nd term in master's degree program), Shin Yong-hwan, (23, senior), Bae Jin-sol (20, junior), Chungang University Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film Art Kim Do-hee (24, 1st term in master's degree program), and Daegu University Department of Architectural Engineering Lee Seung-hee (25, senior) made up a five-member alliance team to win the French Ambassador to Korea Award. The four member alliance team comprised of the Chungang University Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film Art Baek Jung-gi (41, 1st term in master's degree program), YU School of Architecture Kim Ji-eun (23, 5th year), Jung Yoo-jin (21, senior), and Korea University School of Architecture Hyun Jin-sun (21, junior) won the French Cultural Center Director of Korea Award. Of the nine members that took first and second place, five were students from the YU School of Architecture.

 This workshop, which was co-supervised by the City of Seoul and the French Embassy and hosted by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Seoul City Citizens Hall, French Culture Center in Korea, and the International City Joint Research Center, was held from August 5 to 14 at the Seoul Citizens Hall Taepyeong Hall and Workshop Room.

 The theme of the workshop was 'Tomorrow's Seoul Project'. During the workshop period, the participants had the opportunity to come up with and share creative ideas to plan the Hangang Riverside of Seoul with nature-friendly future urban environment 'urban agricultural architecture' that modern society now aims at. Urban agricultural architecture refers to the new architectural mode that combines residential functions and farming functions in urban living areas.

 Over 50 college and graduate students majoring in architecture, advanced media and landscaping from colleges in Korea, France, Belgium, USA, England and Canada participated in this workshop. Participants made teams of 4 to 5 with students of other nationalities, schools and majors to exchange their fields of majors from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. every day during the 10 day workshop to design a creative city. Each team received instructions from over 20 expert tutors who specialize in different fields and submitted a 5 minute video and 3D printer model for their final works.

<French Ambassador to Korea Award>

 Upon final judgment, the piece that won the French Ambassador to Korea Award was ‘A TUFT (Algorithm of Nature Takes Urban Farming To Future) City’.

 Shin Yong-hwan explained the concept saying “We created a completely new city by reinterpreting and applying the rules of nature such as light, wind and water in an existing city (Yeouido)," and added, "Though it was made in a short period, it was judged to have high architectural perfection and to be highly practical."

 The work that received the French Cultural Center of Korea Director's Award was ‘WEAVE (WE Assembled in the VEnue)’. Like its name, it weaved different spaces and added a common work element of farming within such spaces to propose a residential area in which people can communicate naturally.

<French Cultural Center of Korea Director's Award>

 Kim Ji-eun, who received the French Cultural Center of Korea Director's Award, said, "I was able to learn a new perspective for looking at architecture by carrying out projects with students of various majors from different parts of the world." She added, "Our team had a great architectural idea, but what really helped us received good reviews was because our excellence in visual imaging expression of such ideas."

 Jung Tae-gwon, who received the French Ambassador to Korea Award, said, "I've become more interested in architectural planning so I would like to conduct more in-depth studies." He also added, "After completing my master's degree, I want to experience corporate life for about three years and then begin my PhD program at an architectural graduate school in the United States."