Ontological questions lead Saul Kim toward the unconventional ‘Architecture Anomaly’ 13/3/24 02:39

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Ontological questions lead Saul Kim toward

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see

the unconventional ‘Architecture Anomaly’

For his experimental series, Kim creates abstract juxtapositions of architectural elements
to arrive at ‘anomalous’ forms, discovering newer paths of assembling and inhabiting.

by Jincy Iype Published on : Jun 28, 2023

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Our minds are programmed to follow the preconceived notions set by society. Whatever
de"es the convention seems 'anomalous.'

Seoul-based architect Saul Kim is of the opinion that design should not have rules—his
most well-received series is one-of-a-kind, a developing hit on Instagram— Architecture
Anomaly, which he describes as a ‘creative architectural autobiography,’ one that
“demonstrates how my collective memory set a direction for architectural discourse. I ask
ontological questions to whatever parts that make up architecture. This is done through
‘anthropomorphism,’ an attempt to give life to objects in hopes to discover new ways of
assembling and inhabiting,” says Kim. Pleasingly geometric and rendered in black and

Architecture

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Ontological questions lead Saul Kim toward the unconventional ‘Architecture Anomaly’ 13/3/24 02:39

Architecture
white, the experimental, !ctional architecture series is replete with a clinically clean,
minimal design approach, and hints at a creative architectural evolution of sorts, where 05
mins. read
the author writes and inspires other creatives to see, and go beyond the conventional.

‘A A 203 - Bent Chord’ from Saul Kim’s digital architecture series, Architecture Anomaly
Image: Saul Kim

Born in South Korea and brought up in Singapore, Kim moved to the United States to
study architecture, attending SCI-Arc (The Southern California Institute of Architecture, a
private architecture school in Los Angeles, California) for his bachelor’s, and the Harvard
Graduate School of Design for his master’s. Post graduation, the Korean architect has
been a sole practitioner, working towards building his own brand and practice that focuses
on schematic design, exhibitions, and the Metaverse. His interest in teaching led him to
become an instructor at Domestika, an online education platform with millions of users,
apart from giving lectures at major universities such as the Pratt Institute and TED
University, as well as scheduled lectures at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and
the University of Johannesburg.

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'A A 195 - Horizontal Gravity’

Image: Saul Kim

"All of the thoughts garnered from previous projects have in#uenced me greatly, and the
manifestation of those learnings and the development of those ideas are displayed clearly
in this series,” explains the architectural designer. ‘They were supposed to be sketches in a
notebook, but there was a part of me that wanted to resolve and execute each idea with
the right dimension and proportion. It is why they are kept so simple and direct. I don’t
spend more than an hour making each design, because the more developed it becomes,
the more speci"c and prede"ned it becomes. I needed them to remain abstract because
it wasn’t a matter of practicality—I don’t care if it works or not as a building product. These
works have no context, no site, no program, and no scale,” Kim continues.

In an exclusive, detailed interview with STIR, Kim sheds light on Architecture Anomaly, a
series manifesting the juxtaposition of ordinary architectural elements, manipulating and
misappropriating them on purpose, and how intriguing, imaginary architecture,
regardless of its potential of realisation, can open up new possibilities of thinking and
design approaches.

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‘A A 207 - Flaking Ground’

Image: Saul Kim

Jincy Iype: How did Architecture Anomaly begin, and what informed the series’ moniker
and core concept?

Saul Kim: Architecture Anomaly is a design study series initiated by me, to experiment
with architectural elements in unconventional ways, to discover newer paths of
assembling and inhabiting. Inspiration comes from anything that is design-related, but not
strictly architecture. This allows me to avoid doing what has already been done before.

I see them as architectural objects that are meant to be studied from afar, only thinking
about the thing and the meaning of their existence. The only thing that matters to me is
the fact that I thought about it, and the thoughts are translated and represented through
architectural expressions. That way, each work becomes a record of ideas along the
timeline of my career as an architect. They are juxtapositions of ordinary architectural
elements, made with recognisable parts such as a wall, #oor, column, beam, stair, roof,
railing, and so on.

By asking ontological questions about architectural elements, we can

break free from their initial purpose of existence, to discover new
meanings. Sometimes, ordinary and banal elements can turn into
spectacles with appropriate transposition and manipulation.
– Saul Kim

The familiarity of these elements serves as the set-up for juxtaposition and contradiction.
When we see these familiar parts, they trigger the preconceived notion of how they
normally look like and how they’re normally used, and what they’re normally used for. The
manipulation and the misappropriation of these elements create something that is almost
surrealistic and anomalous, that de"es the convention of architecture, whether it is
spatial or formal. So, I’m trying to make a point that sometimes these ordinary and banal
elements can turn into spectacles with appropriate transposition and manipulation. And I
don’t have to come up with aesthetically pleasing geometry that looks good, and say ‘Hey,
look at me, this is beautiful and interesting architecture.’ Here, I’m not too interested in
aesthetics. They just exist, to convey deeply personal ideas and experimental thoughts.

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‘A A 166 - Oblique Ground’

Image: Saul Kim
think

‘A A 82 - Inside of the Inside’

Image: Saul Kim

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‘A A 180 - Inverted Pitch’

Image: Saul Kim

I ask the same question that architect Louis I. Kahn asked his brick. “I ask my wall, ‘Hey, Mr.
Wall, what do you wanna be?’ And the wall replies, ‘I want to be a #oor today.’ And I said,
“Okay, just bend yourself 90 degrees and you’ll become a #oor.” Sometimes, it is as simple
as that. I ask the same question to the rest of the architectural elements, creating more
and more architectural anomalies. So far, I have made 164 of them. The more I create, the
clearer it becomes, that there are three overarching concepts to the digital architecture
series. They are of 'singularity, conformity, and ruination.’

Jincy: Could you elaborate on the three overarching concepts?

Saul: The concept of ‘Singularity’ relates to the idea of reduction, where I am trying to
achieve architectural versatility through the formal manipulation of a single entity.

‘Conformity’ is the study of ways in which disparate or similar parts come together. It is a
moment of interaction of at least two pieces and the only rule is to not follow the rule of
conventional assembly of architecture.

‘Ruination’—this whole concept of ageing can be divided into two categories—textural and
formal. The former describes the change in the look and feel of the tissue, an outer-
surface phenomenon. For humans, we observe the whitening of hair, and wrinkles on the
skin as we age. In the same lieu, for objects, we observe the decaying of wood, rusting of
steel, and cracking of stone with time. Alternatively, formal ageing describes the change in
the overall posture or composition. For humans, we would observe hunched-back, slow-
walking elderlies. For objects, we would observe the imperceptible collapse of structures.
I was especially interested in the idea of formal aging which was applied to
anthropomorphic objects.

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‘A A 221 - Ruined Court’

Image: Saul Kim

‘A A 187 - Ground Joint’

Image: Saul Kim

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‘A A 176 - Ground Chain’

Image: Saul Kim

It is because of the limits of pragmatism that usually prevent us from

being outstandingly creative and unhindered in our approach. Both
built architecture and architecture on paper should continue to evolve.
– Saul Kim

Jincy: “I ask ontological questions to whatever parts that make up architecture. This is
done through ‘anthropomorphism,’ an attempt to give life to objects in hopes to discover
new ways of assembling and inhabiting.” Please explain in the context of Architecture
Anomaly.

Saul: Design should not have rules. We tend to set up our own rules when we learn
something and start to believe that it is wrong to do things the other way. For instance, we
are taught in architecture school that a #oor slab should be placed horizontally, have a
certain thickness, and be placed above structural beams to provide habitable space. This
is the understanding of a ‘#oor slab’ from a structural and human ergonomic perspective
because it was learned, through hundreds of years of evolution, that it is the most
practical and e$cient way to provide habitable space. But if we were to step back, and
lose the preconceived notion of what it is, what it was made for, and how it should be used
in a building, we start to see the thing within a #oor slab. Essentially, it is a thin piece of
surface that we can now morph into something different. Maybe this surface wants to fold,
crumble, or get sliced, to become something else. By asking ontological questions about
these architectural elements, we can freely break away from their initial purpose of
existence to discover new meanings.

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inspire

‘A A 175 - Detached Cap’

Image: Saul Kim

‘A A 217 - Roof on Well’

Image: Saul Kim

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‘A A 214 - Rollin House’

Image: Saul Kim

Jincy: Please take us behind your creative process of creating the renders (some shown
in this photo essay)—how do you think of an idea, do you proceed to sketch it by hand and
then translate it onto software, or create physical models to see how it looks?

Saul: Most works in the conceptual design series are "rst sketched in a notebook, usually
multiple variations of the same idea. This is to "nd the best iteration that can convey the
idea in the most coherent way possible. Then the design is tested with proper dimensions
and thicknesses in the 3D modelling software Rhino7. Sometimes the idea only works on
paper and fails as a 3D model.

Jincy: “These works have no context, no site, no program and no scale.” What are some
messages, key issues, and inquiries you address with the series?

Saul: The fact that there is no context, site, or program, is the only reason why the series
can be (or is) successful. It is because of these limits of pragmatism that usually prevent
us from being outstandingly creative and unhindered in our approach. Both built
architecture and architecture on paper should continue to evolve. About 95 per cent of my
works can actually be built into real buildings, it is just a matter of money in today's context
if we are to talk about the practicality or legality of these concepts. Buildable or illegal, it is
imperative that these ideas are expressed through my series and are shared with the
world to be inspired, simply.

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‘A A 178 - Sliver Tower’

Image: Saul Kim

‘A A 191 - Plaster Peeling’

Image: Saul Kim

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‘A A 172 - Cardboard Roll’

Image: Saul Kim

Jincy: When did this series begin, and when do you see it culminating?

Saul: I created the "rst in the series, ‘AA1’ back in May 2020. I honestly did not expect to
continue for the next three years, but it has come into its own so organically, and it has
continued to inspire me as well. Now, I intend to keep the series going till the end of my
career as an architect.

Jincy: Who are your architectural inspirations? What is NEXT for you?

Saul: Some of my favourite architects are Kazuo Shinohara, Herzog&de Meuron, and Rem
Koolhaas. As mentioned earlier, I lectured at RISD and the University of Johannesburg in
May and will continue lecturing and visiting reviews at architecture schools to stay
connected with the world of architecture in academia. I also have some of my Architecture
Anomaly designs in development to look forward to keenly, to be realised in collaboration
with other architects globally.

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re!ect

‘A A 160 - Dormer Door’

Image: Saul Kim

‘A A 35 - Multiplication Remnant Glitch’

Image: Saul Kim

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‘A A 150 - Equality Skylight’

Image: Saul Kim

Read on: Conceptual Design Digital Architecture Fictional Architecture

Imaginary Architecture Korea Minimal Architecture Minimal Design
Photo Essay Seoul South Korea

What do you think?

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Post

About Author

Jincy Iype
Features Writer
Jincy writes and researches content centred on the best of
global design and architecture. An architect by training, she
enjoys picking the minds of creatives and weaving their ideas
and works onto worded tapestries.

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