Healing Shelter Created in Nowon-gu Schools Receives Applause

Unused Spaces in Schools Reborn as Cafes, Outdoor Rest Areas, and Cultural Arts Creation Spaces... Students, Teachers, and Village Advisory Groups Unite from Design to Installation to Create Unique Spaces... High Response Rate Expanding from 2 Schools in 2019 to 4 in 2020 and 6 in 2021

Yeongsin Girls' High School Shelter

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is accelerating the activation of the ‘Ttukttak Project,’ which transforms unused school spaces such as empty classrooms, hallways, and lobbies into new cultural and artistic community spaces for students and the local community.

Starting with two schools through a public contest in 2019, this project expanded to four schools last year thanks to the enthusiastic response from students and local residents. The budget was also increased from the previous 20 million KRW to 40 million KRW per school to better reflect students’ opinions.

The biggest feature of this project is that students, teachers, and local artists take the lead from space design to installation, turning unused school spaces into creative and unique areas.

Looking at recent examples of utilizing unused spaces in four schools, first, Surak Middle School (Sanggye 1-dong) remodeled its existing audiovisual room (34 pyeong) into the ‘Harang-gwan.’

Fixed chairs were removed, and a small stage with a low podium and lighting was installed, along with shelves for displaying artworks. The name Harang-gwan, meaning ‘fly high together,’ will serve as a space for student clubs, performances, and exhibitions.

Cheongwon High School (Sanggye 9-dong) transformed an unused art storage space (54 pyeong) into the ‘Cheongwon Tree Cafe.’ Notably, many students interested in architecture participated, demonstrating skills comparable to professionals. To emphasize relaxation, plants such as trees were used to create a fresh and green atmosphere despite being an underground space.

Korea Samyook Middle School (Gongneung 2-dong) created the first outdoor space in the Ttukttak Project called ‘Haneulmaru.’ It utilized a 270㎡ space under the connecting corridor that linked two school buildings. Benches and photo zones were installed for resting, and a floor deck along with an aesthetic canopy that blocks direct sunlight and rain was added for practicality. Samyook Middle School’s project is meaningful as many students participated, divided into four groups, presenting their ideas to the entire student body and incorporating final ideas through surveys, reflecting the opinions of all students.

Lastly, Youngshin Nursing Business High School (Junggye Bon-dong) utilized an unused underground empty classroom (78 pyeong). Named ‘Youngshin Chaoreummadang,’ meaning a place where dreams and thoughts rise, it reflects the unique character of this specialized nursing business school by operating as a female maker classroom. It plans to enhance students’ entrepreneurial and creative mindsets and use the space as a performance venue for discussions through small group meetings.

In the recently completed projects at the four schools, three architectural and artistic local advisory committee members and 10 to 30 students participated per school.

The district plans to incorporate feedback from related youth committees and refer to the cases of the four newly completed schools and last year’s Yeomgwang Middle School (Neulpumteo) and Gongneung Middle School (Jimijip) in this year’s project.

The 2021 project will hold a public contest in March, planning to increase the number of participating schools by two, recruiting a total of six schools.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “The Ttukttak Project allows students, who were merely users of the school, to become owners of the space, fostering their autonomy and creativity. It is a model case of a village education community where experts from various fields in the region collaborate. We will continue to strive to expand various platform spaces utilizing unused spaces.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.