Handcrafted concrete hybrids, the production of tradition and modern in the South Korea developmental state

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the 1960’s and 1970’s South Korean developmental state, traditionalist and post-traditionalist architects converged upon nation building to create a unique cultural legacy in post-colonial South Korea. The employment of various architectural tectonic approaches using concrete positively re-established concepts like “Joseon” and “Craftsmanship”. Modern materials, like concrete, were pinpointed in government design guidelines as a technical medium to reconstruct tradition, while government appointed architect committee’s trips abroad established a pan-Asian framework of common challenges faced by postcolonial nations. This study investigates how handcrafted concrete architectural designs became symbols of technological innovation in the re-invention of heritage and tradition to establish a new postcolonial national identity. The hybrid approach of handcrafted technology evidences how concrete is a historical medium intrinsically tied to the existing industrial ecosystem, as a by-product of the construction of a huge industrial production and distribution network of modernist material.