Temp’L

Conceived by Shinslab Architecture for the Young Architects Program (YAP) in Seoul, Temp’L is designed from recycled steel parts from an old ship.

Responding to the Young Architects Program, the first approach for Shinslab Architecture was to consider that their thoughts will find an echo in Contemporary Art.

Any great cultural vestiges can lose their function. In the same way, a material can also lose its original value over time. The fact that the destiny of cultural relics is to be dismantled, should make us reflect upon what we need to consider for future generations.

Temp’L is designed from recycled steel parts from an old ship. It shows not only a beauty of structure, but it has also a recycling purpose, ahead of any process of reusing materials. It provokes thought about beauty in our time, coming from a recent past. The architectural section of the project is drawn through the process of cutting up the old ship. The section-cut has the necessary force for the sawing action, while opening and thus freeing the space contained in the volume of the ship.

This upside down massive metal structure situated at the entrance of the museum’s courtyard, encourages curiosity and becomes an invitation to visit the project. The front surface curve of the ship may lead people to the museum, as it opens towards its main entrance.

It welcomes the visitor by showing its industrial face, made of a rusty and rough surface that is showing the origin of the material, the ship. On the other hand, the inside space is designed as an open area connected to a larger volume, where we find a resting place surrounded by vegetation. The ship is hollowed out by connected spheres that set up a minimum structural reinforcement in order to maintain its shape.