Solar Powered Busan Opera House Project Unveiled for Korea

As part of an international design competition intended to a establish a design for the Busan Opera House that is to be constructed in 2014, the architects at Solus4 have come up with a sustainable building that uses elements of culture and history of Korea.

The Busan Opera House project by Solus4 has a flowing design, reportedly inspired by the brush and ink paintings of the Fourth Era of the Joseon Period.

The team behind the project  took the two dimensional basis and expanded this into the third dimension of building volume without any loss of the original element.

These shapes and elements turned into a conceptual diagram that stayed within the traditional artistic parameters, with the team then diagramming the building shapes and the essential volumes.

Original ink brush strokes were used to become building elements. By varying the connections to the earth and varying the edges and heights of roof shapes, the team was able to provide strong volumetric edges.

The Busan Opera House you see here, however, must be also seen from different angles, far beyond its flowing lines. Various sustainable systems were added to the project, including roof based solar collectors, sea water differential temperature cooling, tidal current generators and geothermal mass storage.

Other symbols from the Korean culture were also used as inspiration. Take, for example, the orchid, which represents “refinement” in Confucian philosophy. The design of the building also expresses the hospitality and welcoming of the peoples who extend the unique flower in greeting.

“A very special characteristic of Korean heritage is the linked uniformity of the art, history, culture and language. Much of this is based on the beauty and the pleasure that each element of nature represents to the individual and the community,” explains Alfonso Lopez, lead designer.

“The design solution has its conceptual base in the cultural symbology of Korean history – in this case most specifically music, voice performance and art.”