hankyoreh

a model house inside the Jeju's Jungmun Resort by the world-renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta.

By Heo Ho-joon, Jeju correspondent

The Jeju Island and Seogwipo city governments have decided to demolish the Casa de Agua, a model house inside the Jungmun Resort by a renowned Mexican architect, drawing protest from the Mexican government.

The building was constructed as a temporary model house and gallery. Due to its architectural significance, cultural groups and the governments of Jeju and Mexico are asking that it be preserved, but the owner of the land is planning to demolish it to make way for a resort.

The Jeju branch of the Gwangju High Court rejected a request for the suspension of the order to demolish the building submitted by the building owner JID Co. against Seogwipo City. The model house is scheduled to be demolished on September 26.

Accordingly, culture and arts organizations and the Mexican government responded, that the work must be preserved because it has outstanding artistic value and is a posthumous work by world-renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta. The building in Jeju is one of Legorreta’s only works in Asia.

The Jeju City Council, Korean Institutes of Architects, Jeju People’s Artists Federation and other cultural organizations has argued that even if it is legally justified to take down this work, it would be a violent act that destroys an outstanding piece of art.

Lee Seun-hwa, a Jeju City Council Member said “JID has already decided to provide the house free of charge; as long as it has done that, the owner of the land, Buyoung Co. must come up with some measure to solve this situation.”

Mexico’s Ambassador to South Korea Marta Ortiz Rosa visited Jeju on August 2 to ask that the house not be torn down. An embassy press release on Sept. 25 read, “We understand the laws of Korea but it is necessary to reevaluate the order to demolish the house so that a valuable bit of cultural heritage can be preserved”.

The Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Espinosa also called the Korean Foreign Minister at the beginning of last month to ask that the decision be reconsidered.

Oh Hui-bum, Director of Urban Construction at Seogwipo city government, said “This project was given permission under the premise that it was going to be demolished some day. There is a rule that says that permanent buildings cannot be constructed within 100 meters of the coastline. There are too many restrictions involved. It will be demolished mid-October after completing the proper procedures.”

Casa del Agua (‘House of Water’ in Spanish) was designed by Legorretta (1931-2011) in March 2009. Legorretta won the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2000. Legorretta posthumously won the Bloomberg and New York Times American Property Award in 2010.

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