Folded Geometry Merging with the Landscape
Along the ridges and valleys extending from Palgongsan in Gunwi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Sayuwon unfolds as a private park conceived by Chairman Yoo Jaesung. Opened to the public in 2020, the 330,000m² site brings together preserved trees, collected stones, and architectural interventions by internationally recognized figures including Alvaro Siza, Seung H-sang (IROJE), Wook Choi, Matsunobu Kawagishi, and landscape architect Jung Young-sun. Paths follow the existing terrain, leading visitors across slopes and through wooded areas in a sequence of spatial episodes. Near the culmination of this route, a performance pavilion appears, lightly set upon a grassy incline and establishing a distinct moment within the terrain.
Seats arranged along the natural topography descend gently to form a stepped audience area for approximately 250 people. Where the slope meets a reflecting water surface below, the pavilion touches the ground at only four points, completing an open-air performance venue. The approximately 20 × 14 meter space opens toward the surrounding scenery, functioning both as a stage for concerts and outdoor events and, in everyday use, as a sheltered resting place offering protection from rain and sun. Rather than imposing a new order, the structure clarifies a condition already latent in the terrain, allowing the slope, water, and sky to work together as a natural amphitheater.
The design is based on the idea of folding. Sheets of corten steel are precisely folded to form both roof and walls, blurring the distinction between structure and envelope and creating a continuous surface. This approach secures structural stiffness without additional reinforcement while reducing material thickness, giving the heavy steel a light, tent-like presence. In both plan and section, the geometry tapers toward the stage. Resembling a megaphone, this form concentrates sound and directs attention to the performance area, drawing the surrounding sky and mountains into the composition. Inside, acoustically profiled metal panels help focus sound and deliver it clearly to the audience, reinforcing the spatial relationship between stage and landscape.
The corten steel exterior will gradually weather to a deep reddish tone, blending with the colors of the surrounding vegetation. Seen from afar, the pavilion reads as a sharp geometric mark on the hillside, yet up close it appears as a thin membrane lightly resting on the ground. Rather than asserting itself as an object, the structure frames the existing terrain and allows the landscape to become the principal stage, completing the spatial sequence of movement through Sayuwon.
Project: Sayuwon Park Performance Pavilion / Location: 1176, Chisanhyoryeong-ro, Bugye-myeon, Gunwi-gun, Daegu, Republic of Korea / Architect: Liveraniandrea.com (Andrea Liverani) / Project management: JeeHong Kim / Local architect: JaeHyuk Kim / Engineer: Dooru Engineering.Co.Ltd / Lighting engineer: Bitzro architectural Lighting Design / Contractor: Insung Gene Al Construction Co, Ltd / Client: Sayuwon Co., Ltd (JaeSung Yoo) / Use: pavilion / Site area: 330,000m² / Bldg. area: 280m² / Completion: 2025 / Photograph: ©Simone Bossi (courtesy of the architect)
