Seunghoon Lee since 2015Curriculum Vitae
← All projects

Culture / 2019

Seoul Municipal Cemetery

The end of the journey of remembrance

Location
Seoul, South Korea
Typology
Culture
Status
Graduation project
Year
2019
East elevation of the columbarium block
East elevation of the columbarium block

Seoul is one of the world’s largest and most densely populated megacities. Driven by rapid urban development, land has become exceedingly scarce even for the living, pushing cemeteries—often designated as undesirable facilities—far beyond the city limits. Traditionally, Koreans practice "Seongmyo", a bi-annual ritual of visiting ancestral graves to tend to the land and honor the dead. Displaced to the distant periphery, however, these sites have transformed the act of Seongmyo into a burdensome, time-consuming task, detaching the tradition from its essential purpose: the true act of remembrance. This project explores how architecture can evoke the true act of remembrance.

Palimpsest of memories

Displaced necropolis · Historic and present conditions
Displaced necropolis · Historic and present conditions
East elevation of the columbarium block
East elevation of the columbarium block

Social behaviour: performative mourning

Conventional mourning, often reduced to empty rituals and symbolic facades, fails to evoke a genuine emotional connection with the deceased. True remembrance requires a spatial condition where the mourner can actively recall memories through an intimate interaction with the departed. Stepping out of the everyday realm, the visitor enters the space as if visiting the "House of the Dead." This journey into a transitional world strips away daily distractions, allowing the mourner to fully immerse themselves in the act of grieving. The next world, a counter-site centered on the act of mourning, must possess spatial characteristics distinct from those of the reality.

The next world and counter-site
The next world and counter-site
Creating heterogeneous space
Creating heterogeneous space

Destruction of form and function: derationalised norms

Topographical floor, floating mass, geometric fragmentation, maximised contrast
Topographical floor, floating mass, geometric fragmentation, maximised contrast
Catenary emerging from the terrain · Grasshopper computation
Catenary emerging from the terrain · Grasshopper computation
Floating mass
Floating mass
Blurred form
Blurred form
Topographical form
Topographical form
Mass resting on the topography · Site plan
Mass resting on the topography · Site plan

Creation of heterotopia

The creation of an unconventional space starts by breaking away from the typical architectural elements and routinal functions. A floating structure, an uneven floor that follows the topography, and fragmented shapes intentionally disrupt horizontal and orthogonal perception. This discontinuous, sensory friction awakens our senses, ultimately establishing an effective counter site that detaches the user from conventional routines.

Mass resting on the topography · South-east isometric view
Mass resting on the topography · South-east isometric view
Level 0 plan · GL +1.20
Level 0 plan · GL +1.20
Longitudinal section
Longitudinal section
Level 1 plan · GL +4.20
Level 1 plan · GL +4.20
Level 2 plan · GL +7.20
Level 2 plan · GL +7.20
Level 3 plan · GL +10.20
Level 3 plan · GL +10.20

1. Visitor centre 2. Memorial shop 3. Antechamber of transition 4. Hall of ashes 5. Prayer chamber 6. Mausoleum 7. Ritual space 8. Memorial garden

Credits

  • Korea University · March–November 2019 · Individual graduation project