Project Description

This project reinterprets a 10-cubic-meter former guard post in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a peaceful and enjoyable space, supposing the hopeful future of the end of the Korean war. Rather than erasing the past, the project preserves the original structure—the structural framework that supported surveillance and segregation—and redefines its meaning through spatial intervention. The design transforms the guard post, once a symbol of strictness, into a playful space.

The core design intent was to renovate the military structure within the historical context of the Korean War. Rather than presenting this space as a frozen boundary filled with tension, we designed it as a free space, with a swaying fabric symbolizing peace. In this context, the project creates a space where children can play and people can gather within a confined space.

Spatially, while remaining within the strict 10-cubic-meter limit, the movement of the fabric creates a sense of fluid space. The hammock and the floor net provide the internal experience. Sitting on one side naturally raises the other, creating a playground-like experience. The three pieces of fabric laid on the beams not only change the overall height of the space under through pushing and pulling but also create different atmospheres from outside by adjusting the length of the fabrics fluttering in the wind. This movement transforms the static guard post into a living, breathing structure.

Functionally, this space serves as a gathering place for people and children to play. Visitors enter a cozy space, yet are greeted by layered depth, filtered light, and gently shifting boundaries. Since the existing guard post had an isolated volume of an approximate 10 cubic meter, we used the fabric as a material to transform the rigid image within the cubic dimensions. Because its shape is undefined, it fluidly shifts with the wind and people.

Ultimately, this transformation reinterprets the guard post as an architectural paradox. A structure once built for surveillance and guarding is now transformed into a place where one can pause and imagine peace, with the history of war coexisting by the remains of the old structure. Within a space of just 10m³, the project suggests that even the smallest spatial interventions can have symbolic meaning and emotional resonance in a landscape historically defined as a boundary of separation.