The Gangneung Unification Park Observation Tower offers a multilayered spatial experience where natural and artificial elements are intricately intertwined, inviting nonlinear movement and multiple vantage points that evoke the very essence of movement and exploration. The ascent through the landscape stimulates an innate human instinct for discovery, while the nonlinear circulation—where architecture and nature intermingle—guides visitors through unfamiliar spatial encounters.

Vierendeel trusses, along with tilted and intersecting columns and beams, generate structural complexity where opposing forces converge, juxtaposing the disorder of nature with the order of constructed systems. Inclined and staggered columns and beams, stairways passing through structural voids, and intricately interwoven frameworks interact with natural elements to dissolve clear boundaries and create an unpredictable environment.
 

Visitors navigate this nonlinear and dynamic space while continually encountering new visual and sensory experiences. The journey evokes the sensation of exploring a turbulent medium, where the boundary between nature and artifact becomes blurred, and a continuous sensory flow is maintained. Upon reaching the final destination—the observation tower—visitors encounter panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, fragmented through frames and vanishing points, completing a phenomenological reenactment of dynamic exploration that fosters deep emotional engagement. Through its visual and structural complexity, nonlinear movement, sensory continuity, and the embodied dynamics of instinctive exploration, the architecture reflects the complexity and fluidity of the natural world.

Architects : Narrative Architects
Lead Architects : Sihong Kim, Namin Hwang
Area : 500 m²
Location : Gangneung, Republic of Korea