Situated in the heart of heritage tourism of South Korea, Gwanju City. Odditi blends its design ethos of beauty and abstraction which speaks to both traditional style, and the progressing contemporary architecture of South Korea.
Odditi takes the task of representing the beauty of Korean tradition through the form of an arts center. Art sparks a wide spectrum of emotions, it can also be cathartic to some. This is when the word "odd" came into the process of conceptual design curation. The idea of "oddness" was broken down into two main keywords: misplacement and irregularity.
Essentially, this is the process whereby rules are studied before being broken to create oddness in space. This was done through Fibonacci's golden ratio of proportions. To follow the flow of this new rule, slanted columns were used.
In terms of the physical site, it is adjacent to roads on all four sides. Gwangju city had its own distinct characteristic that demands flow in motor transportation and pedestrian circulation in the midst of local settlements and minor businesses. Additionally, the city is surrounded by beautiful hills which ease of visibility was taken into account when deciding on the height of the building.
The section shows a ramp leading down into the parking space. Standing above ground at approximately 11 meters tall, Odditi blends into local context where average height of town homes in Gwangju area are at no more than 3 stories tall.
The site section shows connection of outdoor and indoor spaces. With its spiral shape and slanted columns, the long protruding end welcomes visitors through gradual transition of soft to hard landscapes.
A massing of the arts center was done to compare its relations to surrounding site. To blend in context, specific local materials such as volcanic rocks were represented. Sustainable alternatives such as weathering steel was used for the claddings. Unpainted concrete was finishing for the interior to garner full attention to exhibits and art pieces.