Breathing Folly
Architecture Cho Namho / Soltozibin Architects Environmental Design Lee Byungho / Korea Real Estate Board Construction Supia Construction BIPV Gohosolar Air Folly Location 92-9 Dongmyung-Dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju Photograph Captions Cho Namho, Pai Hyungmin
Continuing the legacy of Gwangju Folly, Breathing Folly was created by a collective wisdom that answers the question, “Can the present climate crisis be a central agenda in architecture?” Pai Hyungmin, the director of Gwangju Folly presented the challenges of climate standards and mobility; the architect Cho Namho presented an architectural solution that breathes into mobility, the green expert Lee Byungho proposed the technical details of environmental plan and life cycle assessments. This was followed by the fabricator Supia who provides an integrated solution for its structure, details and construction. Breathing Folly is based on an ecological worldview that unfolds from “part to whole” and “whole to part”. Wood is a breathable material with a porous, manifold structure. The principle of wood cells extends to the construction of porous wood structures which form the details of the breathing exterior walls. Breathing Folly has a simple plan with a gable roof. Modifying the roof, hot air is collected in air pockets and exhausted through windows. Hot air is drawn in through 50 meters long cooling tubes buried 2 meters deep cooling the room temperature by more than 5°C.
Cho Namho / Soltozibin Architects
Breathing Folly was produced entirely in Supia Construction’s Incheon factory. In the early design phase, its elements and parts were designed to be disassembled. However, in order for its everyday use, with the exception of a roof element, Breathing Folly was designed as one moving piece. With an easily detachable foundation detail, all production was conducted in the stable environment of the factory, contributing to its high quality.
Interior of Breathing Folly under construction in Supia’s Incheon Factory. The Idea of an architecture that breathes overturns the environmental paradigm of modern architecture. Like breathing in and out, it is the idea that buildings should actively engage with their environment. Breathing Folly adopts a layout based on daylighting and solar energy efficiency, a spatial composition with openings that promote natural ventilation, walls that combine standard wood elements and a layer of highly permeable recycled paper insulation. Wood consists of a molecular structure that contains many microscopic pores, the reason it can ‘breathe.’ At the same time, it is a polymer compound of simple, repeating molecular chains, making it a particularly strong material relative to its weight. Using standard wood components, The space and details of Breathing Folly intricately characterize these properties of wood.
Breathing Folly’s electricity is produced entirely by solar panels designed to be integrated with the architecture. Collaborating with Gohosolar, the first custom designed wood frame BIPV was produced in Korea. While the main body of Breathing Folly was manufactured in a factory, infrastructure work proceeded at its site in Gwangju. The specific planning and engineering of a breathing architecture was implemented in collaboration with the eminent environmental design consultant Lee Byeongho. Modifying the roof, hot air is collected in air pockets and exhausted through windows. Hot air is drawn in through 50 meters long cooling tubes buried 2 meters deep cooling the room temperature by more than 5°C. For the Breathing Folly, Dr. Lee implemented a full life-cycle analysis, calculating not only its use energy but the imbedded energy of its material production and logistics.
On July 22nd 2023, Breathing Folly left Supia’s Incheon factory on a lorry truck. Two days later in the early morning, it arrived safely at the 92-9 Dongmyung-dong site in Gwangju. It took 48 hours to complete the installation. Breathing Folly functions as a support facility for a neighborhood outdoor theater, providing a special space for public activities.