For the realisation of a building and a new large park for
the practice of
Taekwondo in Muju, Korea, the
Taekwondo Promotion Foundation selected Weiss/Manfredi
from an international list
of competitors including Andres Perea Ortega, Sung-Yong
Joh, Junsung Kim, Young Joon Kim,
Chul Kong, and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Taekwondo
Park will establish a
dynamic gateway to the
physical and philosophical world of Taekwondo and become
an athletic and cultural destination for 70 million
practitioners from around the world.
Weiss/Manfredi’s design for Taekwondo Park celebrates the
history and culture of Korea, the principles of Taekwondo,
and the site’s dramatic topography. Nestled within the
mountainous landscape, an arena, training center, and
healing center anchor three distinct precincts that reflect
the cultivation of body, mind, and spirit through
Taekwondo. An ascending pathway links the three
precincts with a sequence of bridges that evoke the
passage from novice to Grand Master, from white belt to
black belt, and from physical strength to spiritual
ascendance.
The three precincts accommodate a vast array of activities
ranging from the spectacle of the arena to the serenity of
the healing center retreat. The first precinct, the Body,
resides at the lowest elevation of the site and includes the
arrival plaza and arena. The second precinct, the Mind, at
the intermediate elevation, includes the research and
training centers, which form an amphitheater of terraced
buildings looking out over the open-air Taekwondo training
and parade grounds. The third precinct, the Spirit, at the
uppermost site elevation, includes the healing center,
memorial park, water terraces, and an observation tower
overlooking the entire site. Strengthening the connection of
the three precincts, water descends through the valley in a
series of water gardens that incorporate the narrative of
scenic landscape elements unique to the region.
Throughout the park, the distinction between building and
site is blurred. Architecture, landscape, and water
collaborate in a series of ascending terraces and bridges
that preserve the topography of the site and establish a
vital sustainable setting. Framing places for events, art,
recreation, and renewal, Taekwondo Park will become an
international destination that celebrates the history and
culture of Korea as well as the practice and principles of
Taekwondo.
Images: ©Weiss/Manfredi
Credits
Dates
2008;
Client
Taekwondo Promotion Foundation;
Design Partners
Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi;
Project Manager
Rhett Russo;
Core Team
Patrick Armacost,
Todd Hoehn,
Justin Kwok,
Lee Lim,
Joseph Littrell,
Andrew Ruggles,
Yehre Suh,
Austin Tragni;
Presentation Team
Cheryl Baxter,
Alice Chai,
Beth Eckels,
Jocelyn Froimovich,
Kim Nun,
Lindsey Sherman,
Michael Steiner;
Taekwondo Research Advisors
Sung Chul Whang and Jun Chul Whang, Co-Authors,
Taekwondo: The State of the Art, for their
insight into the Art of Competitive Taekwondo;
Architect's Local Representative
Jaewoo Lee, Principal,
Dongwoo Architects Co. Ltd.,
Global Design Link,
Seoul, Korea
Weiss/Manfredi in Korea
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- Rita Capezzuto
- 06 November 2008