salazarsequeromedina & frank barkow present a garden pavilion at seoul biennale

the outdoor room creates a reverberating garden in seoul

Collaborative practice salazarsequeromedina and American architect Frank Barkow have crafted a structural pavilion amid the Songhyeon Green Plaza for the 2023 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. Named the Outdoor Room, the square structure composed of a wooden frame and clad in corrugated steel, transcends simplicity to encapsulate the intricate interplay of environmental and cultural history, all while inviting the public to partake in its unfolding narrative.

In its current form, the architectural pavilion strikes a balance between domesticity and abstraction, welcoming visitors to discover a garden of native plants and a chimney that reverberates with the wind. As they connect with the sky, mountains, and towering buildings that surround them, the structure’s pure forms seek to capture the complexity of the environmental and cultural history which endows great significance to the opening of its site to the public.

all images by Swan Park unless stated otherwise

salazarsequeromedina teams up with frank barkow

Once part of an ancient pine forest attached to a royal palace, Songhyeon-dong underwent a transformation in the latter half of the 20th century to become a symbol of American military occupation. Enclosed by walls and isolated from its burgeoning urban surroundings, the site stood as a void, even as the walls came down and the park reopened to the public. As such, salazarsequeromedina and Frank Barkow’s Outdoor Room serves as a void within a void, framing the evolving history of land and city within its square confines. For the pavilion’s construction, the design team has repurposed materials from another structure conceived by Diagonal Thoughts. Beyond the biennial’s duration these elements will further extend their use as they become adapted to a new site.

view of the pavilion from the entrance to Songhyeon Green Plaza