Temporal Graft

"Temporal Graft" is a timber armature mediating the threshold between the Seoul City Wall and the vulnerable golmok (alleyway) residential fabric. Unlike traditional preservation that displaces communities, this surgical intervention recycles the vernacular urban edge. It provides an ADA-compliant ramp for universal access while acting as a permeable buffer, shielding dwellers from tourist influx and fostering a symbiotic coexistence of the city's historic past and authentic present.


The project addresses the spatial violence of top-down heritage preservation. Elevating the fortress wall imposed a rigid setback, threatening old downtown Seoul’s marginalized vernacular neighborhoods with displacement. Inspired by the spatial logic of traditional Hanok and urban recycling, the design challenges this tabula rasa approach. It explores how architectural prosthetics can resolve friction between monumental conservation and the authentic daily lives of local dwellers.


Through this hybrid of infrastructure, architecture and urban revitalization, “Temporal Graft” demonstrates how preservation can evolve from exclusionary monumentality toward inclusive continuity—where heritage, culture, accessibility, and community life are mutually reinforced rather than forced into conflict.