A Study on the Influence of IIT's Educational System on the Jong Soung Kimm's Architecture

김종성 건축과 IIT의 교육시스템과의 관계에 관한 연구

This study tries to analyze the influence of IIT's educational system on the Jong Soung Kimm's Architecture. Architect Kimm was the first student in Korea who gained admission to the IIT and was directly learned from Mies van der Rohe. At IIT, he completed a university course from 1956 to 1961, and finished a degree of master under the direction of Professor Myron Goldsmith in 1964. After the graduation, he entered Mies's office and became the professeur of IIT from 1966 to 1978. In consideration with these facts, it is no exaggeration to say that Kimm's architecture was formed by the IIT's educational system and Mies's architectural principles. According to the synopsis of the 5-year curriculum 1944-45, the object of architectural work in IIT is the clarification of : 1)the structure as an architectural factor, its possibilities and limitations 2) space as an architectural problem 3) proportion as a means of architectural expression 4) the expression value of materials 5) the application of these principles by means of free creative work. Architect Kimm's works designed in Korea reflect well these objectives. But Kimm also knew well the problems of IIT's educational system. After the retirement of Mies, IIT's educational system had the tendency to overstress the technology of structure and simplify the complexity of Miesian architectural principles. In opposition to this tendency, architect Kimm continued to keep the spacial and formal subtlety which possess the Mies' original architecture. This shows very well the future direction of Kimm's architectural activities.