Interwoven Hongje

Community appeared in ordinary places.

Fieldwork focused on where elderly residents stayed, met others and spent time during the day.

Some gathered in senior centres. Others met in a hair salon or around street vendors. Many spent time on benches and other places along the street.

One of these places was a pyeongsang, a wooden platform in front of Myeong Charcoal BBQ, a local restaurant. People came alone or with acquaintances. Some just watched passers-by. Others spoke with people sitting nearby or with street vendors.

The pyeongsang had no fixed membership. Different people used it at different times, making it an important point of contact within the neighbourhood.

A local connector

The flower stall owner beside the pyeongsang appeared across several social groups.

She had worked in the area for more than thirty years and knew many local residents. People stopped at her shop, spoke with her and met others nearby.

Her relationships across different local groups suggested how an existing social network could become a starting point for new connections.

Walking connected places that otherwise seemed separate.

Many elderly residents followed regular routes through Hongje-dong. Their walks passed homes, the market, street vendors and familiar places to sit.

The pyeongsang was one of these stopping points. Walking brought different people through the same place even when they belonged to different communities.

Mapping these routes alongside existing groups revealed another pattern. Several communities shared similar hobbies, especially hwatu and gardening. These activities were active within each group, but there was little contact between the groups themselves.

This raised a new question: how could small interventions along existing walking routes create more opportunities for people to meet?

Could a familiar activity create an encounter?

I tested this through a small intervention before developing the architectural proposal.

I set up hwatu sessions in four public spaces along local walking routes.

Responses changed from place to place. Some people passed by. Others stopped to watch, started conversations or joined the game.

The experiment showed that a familiar activity could give people a reason to stop. It also showed that the surrounding street conditions affected how people responded.

These observations informed the spatial strategy that followed.

The proposal translated three findings from the fieldwork into a spatial strategy.

Existing walking routes became locations for intervention.
Instead of creating new destinations away from everyday movement, small structures were placed along routes that residents already used.

Shared hobbies became opportunities for connection.
Activities such as growing flowers, gardening, food and crafts provided a reason for people with similar interests to meet.

Existing social relationships became starting points for the network.
The first network began with the flower stall owner, whose relationships already connected different residents in the neighbourhood.

Residents interested in flowers could grow them outside their homes, share knowledge and sell surplus flowers through the shop. The same structure could later extend to other interests found in the neighbourhood.

Small pavilions extend everyday activity into the street.

The pavilions work as stopping points along existing walking routes.

For pedestrians, they provide somewhere to sit and rest. For participants, they offer space to continue hobbies such as growing plants or making objects.

Objects and activities can also be displayed toward the street. Someone passing by might notice a familiar activity, stop and begin a conversation.

As more residents participate, new pavilions can appear along other walking routes. Different hobby groups can gradually become connected through a wider neighbourhood network.

Some activities need a larger shared space.

The Headquarters provides space for activities that grow beyond the smaller pavilions, including meetings, workshops, exhibitions, markets and shared meals.

It is located where well-used neighbourhood benches had previously stood. Seating remains part of the new building so that people can continue to stop there without having to join a programme or group.

Inside, rooms are organised around courtyards and shared spaces. An open kitchen supports food-related activities, while folding doors allow rooms to expand for larger gatherings.

The Headquarters provides a shared space where activities and relationships that begin across the neighbourhood can meet and develop further.