A blue pavilion on display at the Seoul Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism is “an architectural postcard from Brisbane to Seoul,” its designers say.
The Blue Bower pavilion is a collaborative effort, with design leads Nicola White and Paul Hotston of Phorm Architecture and Design working with Silvia Micheli and Antony Moulis of the University of Queensland School of Architecture, together with select students.
It takes its name from the Australian satin bowerbird, which builds its nest from pieces of blue detritus – from pen lids to clothes pegs. The pavilion concept similarly takes bits and pieces of inspiration from here and there.
“For us, the colour blue is an iconic tie between the material identities of Seoul and Brisbane,” the design team notes.
Blue Bower under construction in Seoul.
Image: ⓒ516 Studio
“When viewed from above, Seoul is a city of blue fragments: blue tiles, blue roofing materials, the presidential Blue House. In Brisbane, the skeletal forms of blue-coated steel and blue-treated timber are a common sight across the city.”
The pavilion is made of blue Australian steel, in reference to this conceptual exploration.
Beyond the allusion to blue building materials connecting the two cities, the concept also interrogates some deeper shared urban characteristics and challenges, including how heritage is valued, and how boundaries between public and private and between work and home are mediated.
A concept image of Blue Bower.
Image: Supplied
“As urban life atomizes, there is an urgency for architecture that can sensitively articulate the character of our urban histories,” the designers state. “For both cities, the ubiquity of blue construction materials presents a key to reconciling the changing nature of the modern city against the backdrop of urban heritage.”
The third iteration of the Seoul Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism, directed by Dominique Perrault, was titled Crossroads: Building the Resilient City. Running from 16 September to 31 October, it aimed to “gather different forms of intelligence to reflect on the city of the future as a more sustainable, resilient and comfortable place for its inhabitants.”
