Title From Representation to Performance: Courtyard Spaces in the Duplex Units of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Athletes’ Village
Authors 이건일(Lee, Geon-Il) ; 백진(Baek, Jin)
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.3.145
Page pp.145-156
ISSN 2733-6247
Keywords Collective Housing; Apartment; 1988 Olympic Athletes’ Village Apartments; madang; courtyard
Abstract This study examines the deep balcony integrated into the duplex units of the 1988 Olympic Athletes Village Apartments in Seoul. The space was originally conceived as a modern reinterpretation of madang, the traditional Korean courtyard, within a collective housing context. Although often viewed as a symbolic reference to national or cultural identity, the courtyard reveals multiple layers of meaning shaped by environmental design, post-occupancy transformation, and spatial planning. To explore these dimensions, the study applies David Leatherbarrow’s concept of performance, which allows the madang to be understood not only as a representational idea but as an active spatial operation across technological, practical, and symbolic realms. By reconstructing its historical narrative through design competition archives, planning documents, media discourse, and resident practices, the analysis demonstrates how the courtyard mediates climatic orientation, everyday use, and cultural meaning. Rather than functioning as a static symbol of tradition, the deep madang within the duplex unit is reinterpreted as a performative spatial device that raises critical questions about the role of outdoor spaces in future collective housing design.