August_1965 — Page 25

ful and extensive study and experi- ments to obtain the best effects in- tended for this type of finish.

The form material chosen was tongued and grooved Douglas fir lumber.

Concrete aggregates comprised river washed gravel of in. to No. 4 sieve gradation, and river sand. The concrete was job-mixed at the ratio of one cement to two gravel to four sand by volume, and the concrete slump was 2 to 3 in. for vibrated concrete and 3 to 6 in. for non- vibrated concrete.

Use of a mechanical vibrator was avoided as much as possible in favour of hand tamping with poles. In this way an exposed surface free of honeycombs and potmarks was obtained.

To minimise the variation in the colour of the exposed concrete sur- face, care was taken in obtaining a uniform mixing design and time, an even application of form oil, and the same quality wood for the form materials.

Most of the materials, including those for the finishing work and the framework, are of local manufacture and production.

Internally, the rooms and hallways have terrazzo floors, and the hall floors are of precast terrazzo with stone trims. Ceilings are pressed texboard for the rooms and plaster with coating for the hallways.

Architect

Architect for the Freedom Centre is Kim Swu-Geun, an assistant pro- fessor of architecture at Hongkik College and president of Kim Swu- Geun Architects and Engineers Associates, Seoul.

He graduated from the Kyonggi High School in 1950, studied at the Tokyo Art College and later gradu- ated from Tokyo University with an M.A. in architecture. He worked for a while with the eminent Japanese architect, Takayama Eika.

His deput in Korean architecture was made during the last days of the Rhee Government, when he won the public competition for the plans of the National Assembly Building above Mount Namsan. This project was later abandoned.

The Freedom Centre is a landmark in the history of Korea's modern architecture in many respects. The complex as a whole contains many controversial points in connection with its architectural style, but in the huge Western-style edifices can be detected the architect's concious effort to make the best use of Korea's traditional treatment of space as well as the concept of beauty using modern materials. For example his application of the beauty of tradi- tional Korean wooden structures in columns produces the effect of monu- mentality.

The sense of desolation and the mysterious atmosphere in the vast- ness of the buildings gives an impres-

sion of an

Peristyle awesome modern pan-

of the main building shows the dramatic theon. But despite their overwhelm-

effect achieved by using exposed reinforced concrete ing sense of mass, the buildings are by no means dull. They preserve the natural beauty of the materials used without the application of artificial touches.

Far East Architect & Builder August, 1965

The contractors for the main build-

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ing are Sam When Enterprise Co., Ltd., Seoul, and for Freedom House, Poong Jun Construction Co., Ltd., Seoul.

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FOURTH FLOOR PLAN, MAIN BUILDING

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Architects:- Palmer and Turner.