Encoded Heritage is a 12-day intensive research and design programme that investigates experimental preservation within Korea’s rapidly transforming urban environments. Positioned between heritage discourse, digital practice and urban theory, the programme critically examines how 20th-century architectural artefacts are continuously reinterpreted, neglected or erased under conditions of redevelopment, densification and socio-economic pressure.
Rather than approaching preservation as a purely restorative or nostalgic act, the programme adopts experimental preservation as a critical methodology. This approach understands preservation as an active, speculative and analytical process – one that interrogates what is preserved, why it is preserved, and for whom. Through this lens, students engage with architecture not only as physical form, but as a carrier of memory, ideology, labour and everyday life.
Conceptual Framework: Korea’s urban condition offers a particularly rich context for this investigation. The coexistence of post-war reconstruction, rapid industrialisation, speculative redevelopment and informal adaptations has produced cities characterised by spatial compression, temporal layering and cultural hybridity. Within this condition, many 20th-century buildings – modern housing blocks, industrial facilities, educational buildings and commercial structures – remain under-recognised within official heritage narratives, despite their profound role in shaping contemporary Korean society.
The programme positions these artefacts as critical sites through which to explore themes of:
By digitally recording and narratively reconstructing these sites, participants critically question dominant heritage frameworks and propose alternative ways of understanding architectural value.
Jisoo Hwang is a researcher, educator and ARB-registered architect. She is currently a Unit Tutor for Intermediate 17 at the AA, where she also tutors in Environmental and Technical Studies tutor. In conjunction, Jisoo teaches first-year and second-year design studio at the University of Westminster as a studio Master. With several years of experience in architectural practice – including positions at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Hopkins Architects – Jisoo has developed expertise across a range of sectors including education, commercial and residential. Her professional experience spans multiple project stages and construction materials, and she remains committed to deepening her knowledge and expanding her practice through both teaching and research.
Sho Ito is an architect and founder of Studio-ITO, a design and research lab in London, UK. Predominantly working on small scale interventions and extensions to transform the everyday mundane spaces into spatially rich moments. He is currently a Unit Tutor for Intermediate 17, First Year Studio Master and an Environmental and Technical Studies Tutor at the AA. In conjunction, he runs a 2nd Year Studio Master at the University of Westminster, and a PhD candidate exploring the extraction of sand and water in relation to geopolitical boundaries and territories.
Terrance Tae Hyuk Kim is the director of fakeprintshop. His work challenges the definition of architectural production, positing that until a building is realised, architects are essentially printing fictions. Educated at the AA, Terrance’s methodology combines narrative whimsy with forensic precision. His professional tenure ranges from deep-dive technical research to leading large-scale builds. He uses technology as an artistic medium to visualise the invisible constraints of urban space. Terrance is based in Seoul, where he creates smart and polite interventions that question the legacy of the site and the agency of the drawing.
The programme is open to design and architecture students, PhD candidates, young professional and architects.
A £60 non-refundable deposit required is from all applicants at application stage. This amount will be deducted from the total fees listed below:
Flights are not included.
Participants need to bring their own laptops and drawing tools.
Applications for this programme will open soon.