YOOSHIN ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS

Located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 'Yooshinjae' is a modern heritage building. After an 11-month journey of careful planning and remodeling, Yooshin Architects & Engineers, Inc. completed the project in August 2021. Today, we proudly use this space as our own design studio.

History of an Architectural Legacy 

The building's history dates back to the Japanese colonial period, with its original completion on June 23, 1926. It found its first private owner through a sale in June 1930. Following the establishment of the Korean government in 1948, the property's rights were vested in the state, later passing to a second owner in 1961. In 1975, the current owner acquired the building to use as their company headquarters. When the headquarters eventually relocated, this historic structure was left untouched, serving quietly as a document storage warehouse for nearly 30 years.

Design Philosophy: Embracing the Past

When we took on the remodeling, our main focus was preserving and restoring this architectural heritage. From the owner’s perspective, they could have generated profits through leasing or selling the site. However, they chose not to do so, adhering to the founder's wishes. This decision, along with the fact that the building had preserved its original appearance from when it was actively used, felt truly extraordinaryAs designers, we chose to step back; we kept our personal design egos aside and resisted the urge to make something completely brand new. Throughout the construction, we made sure not to erase or hide the old architectural details, traditional building methods, or the natural signs of aging and past modifications. To us, these elements were the very identity that defined the soul and atmosphere of the space. This is why, after completing the project, we refrained from adding any extra architectural touches, leaving only a modest doorplate on the exterior wall.

Restoration & Modern Engineering

Our goal was to modernize the space for everyday office use while fully respecting its original structure, which required a lot of time, care, and effort. We removed the old, leaking tiled roof and replaced it with a durable zinc finish. During this process, we reinforced or replaced decayed parts of the timber structure while upgrading insulation and waterproofing. All mechanical, electrical, communication, and fire safety systems were newly installed from scratch to meet current building codes and modern office needs. Civil works—including septic tank updates and stone wall repairs—were completely overhauled alongside new rainwater management and landscaping plans. When introducing new elements like windows, we did extensive research into historical records. This allowed us to improve durability without losing the historical charm of the original design.

An Open, Adaptable Workplace for the Future

Inside, we treated the interior as one large, flexible space rather than dividing it into rigid rooms, except for essential service areas. We left the openings between past extensions doorless to keep things visually open. Desks sit freely without any partitions, and we chose easily movable furniture to make the layout highly adaptable to different team sizes and tasks. This open-plan layout was heavily inspired by the fact that we designed Yooshinjae in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designing a building for a single fixed purpose can limit its true value when times change. As we learned from the pandemic, what we truly need in an unpredictable world is a versatile space that can gracefully adapt to various needs over time.