Terrace in Seongseo Elementary School | Hyunje Joo

Space Innovation Project, Seongseo Elementary School, South Korea

The terrace at Seongseo Elementary School had remained unused for years due to safety concerns caused by its low guardrail. Rather than a simple renovation, this project sought to reclaim a forgotten space and reintegrate it into the everyday life of the school.

The newly designed guardrail is composed of a repetitive modular system that gradually opens toward the top, ensuring safety while preserving visual openness. Its vibrant vertical elements change with light and time, transforming the railing into an architectural façade that gives the school a distinct identity.

Inside, a rainbow-colored deck dissolves the boundary between floor and wall, creating a continuous surface that encourages sitting, climbing, leaning, and play. Instead of prescribing specific functions, the space remains intentionally open-ended, allowing children to define its use through their own imagination and movement.

Ultimately, the project redefines safety—not as a means of restricting space, but as a condition that enables it to be occupied. Once abandoned, the terrace has become both a new architectural landmark for the school and a living environment where children's everyday experiences continuously shape the space.

Summary

Project: Pavilion Project
Architect: Hyunje Joo (www.joohyunje.com)
Client: Seongseo Elementary School, Gyeonggido Office of Education
Location: 210 Seongbok 2-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Year: 2026.08
Program: Pavilion
Size: 191m2