In South Korea, church signs appear every few blocks throughout the city. Yet how many people have actually stepped into a Protestant church—not a temple, nor a Catholic cathedral?
Although the Bible speaks repeatedly of the church as a space that must remain open, such openness is rarely encountered in Korean daily life.Particularly in South Korea, Protestant churches often remain closed outside of worship hours, even when their largest spaces—the sanctuaries—are left empty.Excessive religious symbolism, negative public perception, and practical management challenges have rendered churches closed off to all—a sacred place (聖), but also a fortress (城).
Attempts to open up have not been absent. Churches have offered libraries, cafés, and parking lots. Yet entering one still requires passing through multiple psychological and physical thresholds. At the very least, an Open Church must be one that gives up its most sacred space. And still, people long for places of stillness—open, silent spaces where prayer may quietly dwell—within the city.
Similarly, office buildings in the city remain empty for long stretches of time. The first-floor lobbies, which face the street and span generous volumes, are often closed off after business hours, cutting off the flow of the city. Offices, too, are in need of quiet spaces for rest.
This project is located at 93 Cheonggyecheon-ro, along a stream corridor dense with office towers. The site boasts excellent transit access and sits at the edge of bustling commercial and tourist districts. People pass through here day and night, weekday or weekend.
It is a place where an Open Church can quietly reveal itself, offering its space to many.
At this intersection of urban flows, the programs of church and office come together. Each becomes vacant at different times, and in doing so, they fill each other’s voids. The office gains shared spaces—rest areas, large halls, and a cafeteria—through the church. The church, in turn, secures rental income and naturally attracts public footfall through the office. In this way, the Open Church seeps into daily life, and the public comes to recognize its presence not through symbolism, but through experience.
The insertion of the church begins with a strategy of subtraction. By carving out a portion of the office, the building becomes a spiritual refuge. On the ground floor, a simplified church form takes shape. Heavy materials, repetitive patterns, raised seating, an altar, ceiling height, and shadows suggest a sacred atmosphere—without excessive religious symbols. Symbolism is minimized; only subtle traces remain.
A roof to block the rain, a floor to stand on—the walls are removed. By offering its most valued space, the church welcomes both those who came seeking it and those who simply wandered in. This place connects naturally with commercial facilities and public streets, becoming part of the city itself.
The space that has been subtracted is also lifted upward. There, a quieter and more intimate space is offered—to those in need of spiritual pause or simple retreat. This rooftop may serve as a sanctuary, an assembly hall, or a place for introspection. On some days, it may host a company presentation or party. Others might come for the view—or to be alone. What now occupies the place where a cross might stand is no longer a symbol, but the church itself. Visitors do not come for a red neon cross. They come because the space itself is the Open Church.
Through coexistence with the office, each program adopts the other’s time and purpose. Office users gain peaceful places to rest; the church gains proximity to daily life. A meeting room becomes a prayer room, a small group room becomes a meeting room again. The first-floor sanctuary becomes the office lobby during weekdays. Someone might perform there. Someone else might sit for a moment in the shade, or have a simple meal. A cigarette may burn away the weight of yesterday. Someone might empty out their stress, lie down in silence. If that, too, is part of life—then this space watches quietly, and embraces it all.
Office workers move upward or downward to escape the noise. Passersby pause and sit beneath its roof. Some close their eyes and speak to something they believe in. And someday, they may come to realize: they were in a church. It remained quietly, beside them.
Fullness through Absence, Fullness of Absence.