Kukje Gallery, situated in the historic Samcheong-ro neighborhood of Seoul, is a prominent contemporary art space renowned for its innovative architecture and dedication to showcasing significant Korean and international artists. Designed by SO-IL, the gallery exemplifies a harmonious blend of modern aesthetics and contextual sensitivity.

The Kukje Gallery is the third addition to the gallery complex, measuring approximately 11,000 ft² (1,000 m²), including gallery, office, sub-level auditorium, and support spaces. The building features a 16 × 9 × 6-meter column-free gallery space illuminated by natural light through a perimeter skylight. This design maximizes the interior volume, allowing for large-scale installations and performances. To maintain the purity of the gallery's geometry, functional elements such as staircases and mechanical systems are positioned along the building's perimeter.


The design maintains a pure box-like geometry for the gallery space and pushes circulation and additional extruded geometries to the exterior. These rigid volumes are softened by a unique, hand-crafted stainless steel chainmail mesh façade, comprising 510,000 individually welded rings that drapes and stretches over the entire building and exterior circulation spaces. Extreme precision was required during fabrication of each chainmail swath to ensure a snug fit on the building, without wrinkles or bulges. To determine the shape and dimensions of these swaths and to specify the number of rings required per row of chainmail links, a sophisticated rule-based associative model was developed. This computer model was integral to the design process, allowing different ring sizes to be easily tested during design and resulting in updates that propagated to the fabrication drawings. The work contributed to the project from schematic design through design development, then shifted to design and coordination for the fabrication and delivery of the chainmail mesh.