XA Lab Student Wins Honorable Mention at International Competition

We are proud to announce that our Master’s students Sechang Oh and Miri Hwang received an Honorable Mention in the Re-Form: New Life for Old Spaces competition organized by Buildner.

Here is a description of the project:

In Suwon, Korea, an abandoned gas station has remained unused for 20 years, leaving behind contaminated soil and a sense of disconnection in the neighborhood. Historically, this site was home to a communal well, a gathering place for the agrarian community. Later, it became a gas station, symbolizing transience and consumption. Today, it stands derelict, reflecting the decline of gas stations.

Our project reimagines this site as a Makgeolli (Korean rice wine) micro-brewery, transforming a place of fast consumption into one of slow fermentation and communal gathering.

The existing building, canopy, and two columns are preserved and reinterpreted. Visitors enter through a Numaru (rest area) and benches, encouraging short pauses, before moving inward to a Madang (fermentation experience area), where community participation and shared experiences unfold. This spatial sequence embodies the rhythm of slowing down, mirroring the fermentation process.

Design draws inspiration from onggi (jar) covered with hemp fabric, where nuruk (fermentation starter) ferments slowly over time. Similarly, the canopy is wrapped in hemp, filtering light and shadow to create a contemplative atmosphere. Spent nuruk from the brewing process is reused for soil remediation, allowing the ground to recover alongside the community.

The project emphasizes modularity and feasibility. Maru (wooden decks), Cheoma (hemp eaves), and Chorong (lighting) are designed as modular elements attached to the existing structure, fixed with pipes, wires, and turnbuckles for practical construction. These modules are adaptable, offering a prototype for reusing other abandoned gas stations in cities.

Ultimately, this project is about time and transformation: from a communal well in the 18th century (staying), to a 20th-century gas station (consumption), to a 21st-century Makgeolli brewery (fermentation and producing). The site’s story evolves, turning industrial traces into a space of healing for both people and land.