Julpo Port, which was used as a major base for Japanese exploitation, is like any other port city, with warehouses neatly lined up on large, flat plots of land. Their order has been maintained for over 60 years since the port ceased to function. The warehouses, which were used to store seafood, were repurposed as agricultural warehouses and then left abandoned for some time. However, during the time when Julpo Port was flourishing, these warehouses would have stood proudly next to the market, diligently supplying seafood.
As Julpo's economy declined, the traditional reinforced concrete warehouses lost their function. They stood tall, maintaining the old order of the city, on the side of the public flow created by the market, the senior citizens' center, and the gateball field. The closed nature of the warehouses hindered the expansion of publicness. We sought to open and reorganize the static, single-functional spaces (warehouses) into multi-layered spaces that accommodate various community activities and public functions. By opening up the blocked walls and expanding the range of activities to the building's interior and the outdoor space at the back, we aimed to restore the fragmented community.
The open structure connecting the interior of the warehouse with the outdoor space at the back, through the front hanging gallery and the rear open space, breaks the fixed spatial order and creates a new dynamic flow. This spatial reconfiguration transfers the market's bustle to the rear outdoor space through the open cold storage, injecting vitality into the static and closed spaces.
The community activities taking place inside the warehouse and in the rear yard, along with the outward projection through the external hanging gallery, blur the boundaries of the closed space, bringing diverse activities and movements to the static building. The space, designed to break down the boundaries between the interior and exterior of the warehouse to allow for various community activities, can dynamically change according to user needs. Just as the warehouse's use changed from a seafood storage to an agricultural one, and then to an abandoned state, the newly regenerated space also holds the potential to evolve with various programs and activities over time.
The market's bustle moves to the rear outdoor space through the open cold storage, creating a walled yard that complements the market's front space used for parking. Community activities inside the warehouse radiate outward through galleries that penetrate and cross the outer walls. The experience of walking through the floating gallery juxtaposes exhibitions and landscapes, providing an opportunity to reimagine familiar cityscapes.
Users freely move between the building's interior and exterior, with the space's functions continuously changing and evolving without being fixed. The resulting energy, tension, and intersection of gazes allow users to reinterpret familiar spaces, creating unique experiences and interpretations for each individual. This process of expressing and sharing these experiences and interpretations through words and writing injects vitality into the stagnant streets, sparking the small flame of urban regeneration.

Architects : Narrative Architects
Lead Architects : Namin Hwang, Sihong Kim
Area : 109.2 m²
Location : Buan-gun, Republic of Korea