UO Architecture Academy - Design Studio: Project 3: Two Cubes in the Garden

Description: A sculptor has requested your services in designing two 10′ x 10′ x 10′ cubes located in his garden. These cubes are for the enjoyment of the sculptor and are used as places to view the landscape, meditate, nap and picnic.

One of the cubes must have a floor located 18" above the ground and built of stick frame giving it a sense of lightness and airiness. The artist has requested four open views out to the garden from standing and low sitting positions.

The other, a monolithic cube, must sit 18" into the ground with an opening(s) to the sky for viewing stars and small selected openings to let in rays of light. The walls are 18" thick. The artist would like a soft place to recline and watch the sky.

The sculptor asked that the cubes be placed opposite each other with in the garden. Each cube must have a ramped approach (no steps, with 1 to 12 slope (maximum).

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My chosen sculptor: Choi, Byung Hoon

From designboom.com

at the beginning of his career, byung hoon choi was very involved with modernizing the traditions of korean design. his early work and research explored the relationship between functional objects and art. because this practice was not common at the time, choi broke new ground with his research and practice. he experimented with form, texture and material to develop his own formal language that brought a modern approach to korean tradition. like the traditional korean furniture makers, choi employs natural materials, a sober and rigorous style as well as a balance of functionality and aesthetics. along with the work of his colleagues’, choi promoted a new direction in korean furniture that favoured an artistic approach to design, differentiating it from industrially manufactured goods.
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choi’s furniture demonstrates the intent of an artist creating furniture, rather than a designer just adding artistic touches to pieces of furniture. his work appears fluid and improvised, acting on an emotional level while still fulfilling the functional requirements. choi tries to anticipate changes in taste, working free from the current trends. his aesthetic evolved slowly over-time, while remaining simple enough to maintain a timeless quality. by borrowing from the past, both locally and from cultures abroad, choi reinterprets exiting ideas, building on them and modernizing them in his own way.

by using a minimal palette of natural materials combined in primitive ways, choi’s work accentuates the inherent beauty of nature. he allows room for the natural elements to speak for themselves. because choi uses such minimal manipulation, his pieces retain the feeling of being untouched and raw. when choi must intervene, his mark is hidden or masked to allow for an uninterrupted viewing. as a result, his work captures the essence of nature through the eyes of man. he doesn’t manipulate the material into a new form, he accentuates and focuses on the natural beauty. the elements look as though they were merely plucked from nature and arranged, demonstrating choi’s belief that the craft is secondary to the beauty of nature.

choi’s recent work explores a formal language he refers to as  ‘modern organic’. the work pairs smooth wood with the hard lines of raw granite in an array of combinations and forms. the wood is light and soft, while the granite is hard and heavy. the contrast of the two textures is obvious but at the same time, they share many similarities. the final pieces are majestic, serene and spiritual while evoking meditative, tranquil and mysterious characteristics. his original style and approach to designing furniture make him one of korea’s most revered designers, at home and abroad.

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Verdent Retreat

Verdent Retreat is a garden inspired and created for sculptor Byung Hoon Choi in his studio’s garden in Seoul, Korea. These spaces are used for the enjoyment of the sculptor, as well as places to view the landscape and artwork.

The altana is open to the air and frames a view of Choi’s sculpture, the landscape, and a gathering area. It is made of maple and pine, and raised above ground with support by natural rocks.

The grotto, a space created with  granite and ebony wood, is sunken into the earth which contrasts with the lushness of the surrounding hills.

These spaces were designed to compliment the landscape, where natural elements and designed pieces come together allowing for uninterrupted viewing.

This garden is ‘modern organic’ evoking meditative, tranquil and mysterious characteristics. By pairing smooth wood with the hard lines of raw granite in an array of combinations and forms, the spaces, as well as the sculpture pieces, become majestic, serene and spiritual.

Sculptor: Choi, Byung Hoon

Choi is a modern sculptor that modernizes the traditions of Korean design. Early in his career, he explored and researched the relationship between functional objects and art. His experiments involved developing his own formal language with form, texture, material, functionality and aesthetics, differentiating it from industrially manufactured goods.

By using a minimal pallete of natural materials combined in primitive ways,
Choi’s work accentuates the inherent beauty of nature, allowing room for the natural elements to speak for themselves; untouched and raw.