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Beyond Brutalism: Cutting-Edge North Korean Architecture

03 Apr

[ By Steve in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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The infamous Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang may have stolen the spotlight but North Korea can boast many other examples of unusual cutting-edge architecture.

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The Korea Central Zoo (also known as the Pyongyang Central Zoo) was founded in 1959 but recently underwent an extensive makeover, re-opening in July of 2016. The zoo was and continues to be criticized for exhibits that include a chain-smoking chimpanzee and various breeds of dogs. Canines are forbidden to be kept as pets in the capital city, ostensibly for hygienic reasons.

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We’re here to discuss architecture, however, and when it comes to the Central Zoo the highlight has to be the huge tiger-head entrance archway. Rather impressive, unless you’re an easily frightened child (or adult). At least the scaredy-cats can find some solace at the turtle-shaped Reptile Enclosure.

Handball Hall

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Handball is kind of a big deal in North Korea and the North Korea women’s national handball team has competed at the Asian Women’s Handball Championship no less than six times since 1991 – though they’ve never finished higher than third. The team practices at the strikingly angular and not at all ball-shaped Handball Hall located on Chongchun Street in Pyongyang’s “city of sports” district.

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We don’t have a date for the first photo but the image just above snapped by Flickr user Aaron Geddes (Gedsman) in March of 2016 displays some subtle differences.

International Cinema Hall

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The International Cinema Hall isn’t in use very often as its main raison d’etre is hosting the Pyongyang International Film Festival every other year since 1987.

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The sprocket-shaped building sits cheek-by-jowl to a golf course (you read that correctly) on the island of Yanggakdo, located in the Taedong River running through downtown Pyongyang.

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Beyond Brutalism Cutting Edge North Korean Architecture

[ By Steve in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Et tu, Brutalism? ‘Experimental Home’ Now a Modern Roman Ruin

30 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Photographers traveling to photograph the ruins of Rome are generally so distracted by ancient remnants they naturally overlook this unique decaying structure on the outskirts of the city: the ‘Casa Sperimentale’ (Experimental House) created as a model to study interactions light, space and geometry at 1:1 scale.

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Designer and shutterbug Oliver Astrologo sought out this decaying relic, which has gone into further decline since the death of its designer, Giuseppe Perugini, in the 1990s. A work of concrete, metal and class, the asymmetrical dwelling pushes out in unexpected directions and frames surprising spaces.

experimental playground study architecture

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As with many abandonments, signs of decay are showing, vandalism has further deteriorated the site and structure while wild plants continue to encroach as well. Figures in the photographs both help give the unusually-sized spaces and details a sense of scale, while also adding a layer of human emotion to the shots.

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experimental climber urban explorer

The building is a product of its times, drawing on planes-in-space Modernism and thick concrete Brutalism, almost as if famous architects from these stylistic traditions got together to make a pavilion or playground. And today, that is what it effectively is: a semi-enclosed space for urban explorers to climb and document.