Amore Pacific is a brand of cosmetics, products used in industrial quantities by oriental women to enhance their beauty, hide imperfections or to deepen the whiteness of their skin, a sign of nobility and beauty, like the gaja (The Portuguese word from which the Japanese word “geisha” originates) whose white features, charm and musical sensibility turned her into an object of cult and desire.



The first introduction that resulted in work in Korea, (the southern half, that is, since for many Koreans there is only one Korea, temporarily subdivided), coincided with the visit to Portugal by the owner of Amore Pacific, for the purpose of getting to know Álvaro Siza’s work. As I knew the architects who accompanied with him, it was my job to show them around. His intention was to formalise an invitation to design a museum.

FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra
Initiated by his grandmother, the cosmetics company had almost by chance begun to collect items related to the wellbeing of women. Cosmetic items, clothing items, decorative items as well as items relating to the tea ceremony. Today, the collection is immense, as are also the quality and the beauty of most of the items. Items of national value and interest, concerning things for which quantity also is quality.

Enthused, the client wants to locate the museum in the centre of the city of Seoul, and so purchases more and more land, something which is so scarce on those shores and expensive, very expensive.

In another dark brick building are all the staff training facilities and the improvised museum, displaying only a small part of the collection. The rest of the ever-expanding collection is in storage, in the basement.

Another small building, which is isolated, as if pushed into a corner, to the northeast, serves as accommodation for anyone who comes here from a distance to do training or research.

The exterior area is characterised by a huge collection of trees and shrubs that the client buys or transplants here from elsewhere.
In Korea everything gets transplanted. From the huge, sculptural pine tree, that we are used to seeing in oriental prints, to the most subtle maples in varying colours.

Architects: Alvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira and Kim Jong Kyu
Location: Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Practice in Portugal: Carlos Castanheira & Clara Bastai
Coordinator: Pedro Carvalho
Collaborators: Eliana Sousa, Im Yo Jin, Ricardo Serra, Patrícia Carvalho, João Figueiredo
Practice in Korea: M.A.R.U. Metropolitan Architecture Research Unit
Coordinator: Kim Soo Young
Collaborators: Min Jun Kee, Jang Byul, Kim Young Soon, Lee Zoo Hwa
Project Area: 26,029 sqm
Project Year: 2008-2010
Photographs: FG+SG –Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra

PLATOON KUNSTHALLE opened its doors on 11th april 2009. PLATOON KUNSTHALLE is set up in seoul as a space for subculture in Asia. its programmatic orientation towards cultural movements beneath the radar creates a dynamic space where new ideas are born and presented.

The platoon Europe headquarters in berlin was established in 2000. it runs diverse culture and communication projects in cooperation with an international community of 3,500 creatives from all different professions.

PLATOON KUNSTHALLE is not about entertainment. The program will provide a communication platform for anybody interested in subcultural creative fields like street art, graphic design, fashion, video art, programming, music, club culture, political activism etc.

PLATOON KUNSTHALLE is built of 28 iso cargo containers. As icons of a flexible architecture in a globalized culture, the stacked containers form a unique construction that can be rebuilt anywhere else any time.

As PLATOON KUNSTHALLE is located in the upscale cheongdam area the confrontation of subculture with the close-by design houses, commercial galleries and luxury brand stores creates a tension and interaction between the two worlds.

PLATOON KUNSTHALLE provides showcases of underground artists, studio residencies and a fine selection of cutting-edge stage performances to introduce the energetic potential of subculture in Korea and Asia.

NOTE: Graft assisted Platoon in the architectural development of the Kunsthalle, which is based on the signature container modules as developed by Platoon for their first container setup in Berlin. The optimized arrangement of the containers in Seoul was developed in brainstorming sessions between Platoon and Graft and developed and illustrated by Graft.
The interior design finishes and furniture are developed by Platoon and Baik Jiwon.

Concept Design: Platoon Cultural Development
Location: Seoul, Korea
Architectural Consultancy: Graft Architects + Baik Jiwon
Executive Architect: U-il Architects & Engineers
Prefab Engineering: Ace special container, Korea
Structural Engineering: MIDAS IT, Korea
Interior Design: URBANTAINER, Korea
Main Contractor: Hyojung construction & development, Korea
Program: Exhibitions, Bar & Restaurant, Event Hall, Artist Studios, Library Lounge, Office Studios, Workshop Room, Roof Top Bar
Structure: M. Cabestany
Footprint Area: 415 sqm
Main hall Area: 272 sqm
Project year: 2008-2009
Photographs: Platoon

Graft Architects

London-based architecture firm ACME was awarded third prize in a recent competition to design a United Nations memorial.  Initiated by the city of Chungju in South Korea, the selected memorial will rest in the city’s UN Peace Park.  ACME’s proposal is comprised of a 1,500 seating assembly, two conference halls, a theater and exhibition spaces.  The organization of the memorial is metaphorically modeled similarly to the United Nations, where many parts make up the whole.



Similar to how the UN is formed by individual nations, the memorial entails a cube comprised of smaller “cells.”  These cells, which are meant to represent the “collective nature of the UN’s identity” fuse together to create the final shape.   Each piece functions differently as some provide exhibition space and others function as offices and restaurants.  ACME explained that the “memorial should represent the nature of the United Nations, where many individual nations come together to create one entity, but without losing their individual identities.”



ACME, London - Kelvin Chu , Daewon Kwak , Friedrich Ludwig , Isabel de la Mora , Monica Prenziuso, Teresa Yeh

Yooshin Architects & Engineers - Kim Chidok, Daehee Lee, Samyong Park, Daeoh Kwon, Hyunkyoung Oh, Jungheum Yun

ACME