Saemoonan Church

“Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms as- sembled in the light.” – Le Corbusier

Saemoonan Church, popularly known as the ‘Mother Church’ is the oldest and also the first established protestant church  in the country of South Korea. To celebrate their 132nd anniversary, the church built a new church in Gwanghwamun, Sinmunno. The church is one of several modern churches with interesting forms that have been completed recently.

Saemoonan Church issued four distinct church construction themes as basic guidelines to serve as direction:

• The historicity as the mother church of Korean protestant churches,

• The symbolism of doors open to heaven,

• The spatiality of expressing Christ as light and

• Presenting water space as a meaning of baptism and harmony.

Built-in the Jongno-gu district of Seoul, the building is the sixth home for the Saemoonan Church, which was established in 1887. The thirteen-storey church stands behind a circular-shaped public plaza and is designed to have a unique form.

In the construction of Saemoonan Church, the typical spire which has indicated the Church’s authority, was replaced by a softly curved effect that is open to the sky - depicting the love and mercy of God. other ornamental decorations of a conventional church were simply converted into more open and abstract designs, easy to comprehend and connect with. Furthermore, instead of creating a ceremonial spatial atmosphere with the common long corridor form, a new periodic worship space was proposed with a fan-shaped chapel plane to encourage holistic and energetic participation between honing a newer era of worship.

The curved stone facade extends forward on either side of the plaza with the building rising in two towers on either side of a central entrance. While one tower contains many of the church’s offices and rooms, the other, slimmer tower acts as a modern version of a spire. It contains a small chapel and is topped with an observatory containing a suspended cross.

The public construction intention of Loving Neighbors is clearly visible throughout the architecture of Saemoonan Church. The yard of Saemunan-ro created by the hollow front and bent arch gate, which are church architecture typologies that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, is intended to become a practical resting place of citizens by opening the church to neighbors rather than pursuing a reverent worship space with a closed nature like a monastery. The architecture of this unique church has radiated the idea and message of love and openness. Here, the small chapel as well, which will bring back the history by downscaling the existing brick church, will be used as an active open cultural space.

The main place of worship is a large auditorium located the spans the building’s third to fifth floors, with a large balcony for more seating space. Along with the main worship hall the building also contains a secondary auditorium, seminar hall and education room. The building also contains numerous rooms for teaching and the administration of the group of churches connected to the “mother church”

Moreover, a small chapel that reflects part of the history of the church through the use of the old bricks of the church will also be used as an open cultural space. In the office building forest in Seoul, the Saemoonan Church gives ample rest to the bustling city through free space by opening and emptying. The Great Chapel with its entire sound system concealed behind acoustic fleece-laden walls can cater to 2,200 people at a time.

• Architects

  Lee Eunseok, Seoinn Design Group

• Duration

  2011-2019

• Area

  4219 m²

• Structural Engineer

  The Naeun Structural Engineering Co. Ltd.

• Height

  67. 93 m (79.93 m including bell tower)

• Location

  Jongno-gu City, Seoul, South Korea

• Structure

  Mixed Steel Reinforced Concrete

Material Used -

• Granite Stone for Facade Cladding

• Brick for Memorial Chapel

• Accoustic Panel for Worship Room

References

1. https://metamodernarchitect.com/project/saemoonan-church/

2. https://www.archdaily.com/923823/saemoonan-church-seoinn-design-group-plus-lee-eunseok

3. https://archello.com/project/saemoonan-church

4. https://vmspace.com/eng/project/project_view.html?base_ seq=OTI0&page=7

5. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/10/02/saemoonan-church-seoinn-design-group-seoul/

By -
Tuhina Chatterjee, Associate Editor - Civil Engineering and Construction Review