There are a lot of people in Seoul, South Korea. And a lot of activities. And a lot of buildings. And the trend can only go one way- more are on the way. As a result of this densification, the realm of the populus has moved underground. This project, Affect and Sensation, by Alejandro Vicente Soto of the DS:13 studio at the University of Westminster, seeks to ‘provide a leisure cluster that aims to re-introduce Korea’s micro spatial identity back into the built urban fabric.’
The architect describes this move to subterranean spaces as resulting in public domains as ‘micro-spatialities’ or Bang Culture. Soto states that,
The examination of this new underground frontier is carried through the expansion of micro-spatiality through Korean Bang culture. The importance on Korean Bang culture is that it has multiple embedded sensations related to its spatial and programmatic characteristics. The proposed study is a JJim-Jil Bang (Korean Bath House) mixed with other recreational typologies. The main focus is to unite them to provide a leisure cluster that aims to re-introduce Korea’s micro spatial identity back into the built urban fabric.