Seung H-Sang

Seung H-Sang is a South Korean architect who studied at Seoul National University and Technische Universitaet in Wien. After working for Kim Swoo-geun from 1974 to 1989, he established his own office IROJE architects&planners in 1989.

Seung was a core member of the 4.3 Group, which strongly influenced South Korean architecture, and participated in founding the Seoul School of Architecture for a new educational system. He is the author of Beauty of Poverty (1996 Mikunsa), Architecture, Signs of Thoughts (2004 Dolbegae), Landscript (2009 Yoelhwadang) and Memorial of Roh Moo-hyun (2010 Nulwa), and was a Visiting Professor of North London University and taught at Seoul National University and at Korea National University of Arts.

His works are based on his critical concerns with Western culture of the 20th century, particularly regarding the topics of beauty and poverty. His approach has been likened to the Critical Regionalist agenda because he derives, for example, an architectural logic from observations of the former slums of Geumho-dong in Seoul. He won various prizes for his practice and work and served as coordinator for Paju Book City. The American Institute of Architects made Seung an Honorary Fellow of AIA in 2002, and the Korea National Museum of Contemporary of Art selected him as Artist of the Year in 2002, which was a first for any architect, after which he hosted a grand solo architecture exhibition. Seung has gained worldwide fame as an architect by way of his architectural achievements and various international exhibitions, as well as has spread his architectural influence over Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In 2007, the South Korean government honored Seung with the Korea Award for Art and Culture, and he was commissioned as director for Gwangju Design Biennale 2011 after for Korean Pavilion of Venice Biennale 2008. He stepped down as the first City Architect of the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2016. He also taught at TU Wien as a guest professor in 2017. He then worked as Chief Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy of Korea from 2018 to 2020. In 2019, the Austrian Government awarded him the National Decoration the Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class. He is now a Chair Professor at Dong-A University and Distinguished Expert of CAFA Visual Art Innovation Institute in Beijing.

"Beauty of poverty. Here‚ it is more important to use than to have‚ to share than to add‚ to empty than to fill."

Major works E-Mun291, South Korea, 1992 Sujoldang, South Korea, 1993 Subaekdang, South Korea, 1998 Welcomm City, South Korea, 2000 Commune by the Great Wall, Beijing, China, 2000 Hyehwa Culture Center, Daejeon University, South Korea, 2003 Chaowai SOHO, Beijing, China, 2004 Korea DMZ Peach and Life Valley, South Korea, 2005 30th Anniversary Memorial Hall of Daejeon University, Korea, 2008 Memorial for Former President, Roh Moo-hyun, South Korea, 2009 360 Earth Water Flower Wind Country Club, Yeoju, South Korea, 2009 Teochon House, South Korea, 2010 Art Villas, Jeju, South Korea, 2010 Hyunam, Gunwi, South Korea, 2012 Myung Films Paju Office, Paju, South Korea, 2015 Public Cemetery Park ‘A Thousand Wind’, South Korea, 2016 Soowoojae, South Korea, 2017 Myungrye Sacred Hill, South Korea, 2018 Bugye Arboretum ‘Sayuwon’ Wasa, Myueongjeong, Cheomdan, South Korea, 2019

Books Beauty of Poverty (First edition: Mikunsa,1996; 30th anniversary revised edition: Slow Walk, 2016) (Korean-English Bilingual) Architecture, Signs of Thoughts (Dolbegae, 2004) Structuring Emptiness (Dongnyuk, 2005) The Cannon of Architect (Youlhwadang, 2005) Landscript (Youlhwadang, 2009) Memorial of President Roh-Moohyun (Nulwa, 2010) Paju Bookcity Culturescape (Kimoondang, 2010) Stories of 360° Country Club (Culturegrapher, 2012) Old things are all beautiful (Culturegrapher, 2012) 某用空間 (Typomedia, 2013) Seung H-Sang Document (Youlhwadang, 2015) Invisible Architecture Inconstant City (Dolbegae, 2016) Meditation (Dolbegae, 2019) Natured: IROJE Seung H-sang (Actar, 2019)

Awards 1989: Certificate of Commendation from the Chief of Justice 1992: Prize Winner of Korea Institute of Architect 1993: Cultural Award of Kim Swoo Geun Foundation 1993: Main Prize of Korea Architectural Culture Grand Award 1994: Korea Architectural Culture Grand Award 1995: Seoul City Architectural Grand Award 1997: Busan City Architectural Grand Award 2007: Art & Culture Korea Award, President of Korea 2007: Paradise Award, Art & Culture Korea, Paradise Korea 2017: 13th Kyung-Ahm Prize, Special Prize 2019: Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class, Government of Austria