- French Embassy
- Modernity
- Kim Joong Eop and Kim Swoo Geun
- Seoul, Korea
- 1961
This embassy was designed for the French peoples during an unstable and interesting time in South Korean history. To expand, Korea was reexamining its economic and industrial situation post Japanese occupation (1910-45) and the Korean war (1950-53). One of these factors included the lack of training in local Korean architects as the Japanese empire favored Western and Japanese architects for major projects. Also, what little architects that were present in Korea died in the Korean war. These issues brought the influence of Le Corbusier as Kim Joong Eop, a Korean architect, worked under Le Corbusier until moving back to Korea. The building’s overall structure accentuates many of his other works such as Villa Savoye, Norte-Dame du Haut, and others.
Unfortunately, one of the major flaws of the building design was the lack of accommodating growth and construction quality. For example, in 1988 there was additional office space created to the ambassador and staff buildings. There was also a major change to the iconic roof of the Ambassador’s building when it collapsed in the late 1970s and was changed to a less problematic roof.
- Neocolonialism/colonialism and its effects in post war South Korea
- Le Corbusier’s influence outside his practice
- Challenges of understanding future problems of contemporary design.
Exterior
Exterior of residence to reception
Floor plan
Interior
Detail
This building is currently going through a preservation and restoration status. This process is also very difficult as it is still considered French territory and requires both the local government and the French for approval.
Diagram
The darker black lines show modes of access or movement.
Google maps
Sources
- https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/architecture-as-perpetual-crisis-the-constantly-evolving-architecture-of-south-korea
- https://vmspace.com/eng/report/report_view.html?base_seq=MTg0NA==
- https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/jun/25/100-years-of-le-corbusier-what-does-he-mean-to-todays-architects
- https://vmspace.com/eng/report/report_view.html?base_seq=MjcwNA==
