‘This 2,180-square-meter building by Mass Studies (2004) houses a gallery on the ground level and office space for a publication company.

The guidelines of ‘The Paju Book City’ masterplan for this irregular-shaped site along the river stipulates a ‘rock’ typology, a building with a continuous, curvaceous enclosure. This building becomes a two-story ring, leaving a central open space for a sculpture garden, a public visitor’s gallery on the ground level and offices on the second level. Supporting facilities such as a cafeteria and a lecture hall are located on the intermediate level between the two main levels, continuously connecting them. This makes the whole building a two-story, infinite loop of interior space.

The roof of the building and the garden on the ground, together with the interior and exterior of the ring, become an infinite, continuous promenade- 900 meters of multilevel loops creating a fluid interaction between public/private and interior/exterior spaces. Occasional shortcut interruptions such as stairs and elevators allow simultaneous, efficient use between functions.’

For more pictures visit: www.massstudies.com.

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