UB faculty collaborate on international symposium and exhibition in Seoul
“Cram Urbanism And Vertical Learning Space,” an international symposium and exhibition, was recently held at Chung-Ang University (CAU) in Seoul. The accompanying exhibition featured architectural models and drawings, fostering critical dialogue. All photos CEM Studio.
Darra Kubera July 16, 2025
“Cram Urbanism And Vertical Learning Space,” an international symposium and exhibition, was recently held at Chung-Ang University (CAU) in Seoul. The event was organized by Jin Young Song, associate professor in the Department of Architecture, in collaboration with UB faculty members Gregory Serweta and Maia Peck, along with academic partners from Pusan National University (PNU) in Busan and Japan Women’s University (JWU) in Tokyo.
Bringing together researchers, architects, urban planners, and students.
Bringing together researchers, architects, urban planners, and students from diverse backgrounds, this symposium examined the architectural and urban impact of cram schools (Hagwons) in dense urban contexts. The accompanying exhibition featured architectural models and drawings, fostering critical dialogue not only among the organizing team but also with invited guests. The graduate option studio Vertical Paradox, led by Song and Serweta and supported by DeSimone Consulting Engineers, also participated in the exhibition.
Curators of “Cram Urbanism And Vertical Learning Space,” an international symposium and exhibition.
Introducing the symposium theme, Song presented the Hagwon Manifesto, an ongoing theoretical framework to spark discussion:
- Time flows across the façades of Hagwon buildings.
- These façades are high-resolution spaces where diverse layers of information—events, symbols, and narratives—accumulate.
- They act as ritual spaces for collective participation.
- As performative ornaments, Hagwon façades mediate between the heterogeneity of the street and the homogeneity of commercial buildings—expressing our shared identity.
- The Hagwon façade is the city’s generous face—welcoming and revealing diverse desires and complex demands.
Round Table Session moderated by Song, featuring Team VP Curators and guest speakers.
The first session featured student work from CAU and PNU, exploring the boundaries of hagwon façades within the urban environment. Professor Seungan Paek (PNU) presented a theoretical analysis of hagwon façades through the lens of Graham Harman’s object-oriented ontology. That afternoon, winners of the Hagwon Photography Competition were announced. Awardees joined a discussion with Song and the jury chair, FHHH Friends.
Student presentations were produced as a short documentary that was screened in the exhibition space, where attendees praised the breadth and depth of the student work.
The second session showcased the work of UB graduate students, including Sandra Zarub (MArch '25) who was able to present her work in-person. Additional student presentations were produced as a short documentary that was screened in the exhibition space, where attendees praised the breadth and depth of the student work. The discussion highlighted how the perspectives of foreign researchers can help refocus attention on architectural fundamentals when addressing the complexities of cram school environments. Lectures were delivered by Min Lee of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and by FHHH Friends, who recently completed a hagwon project.
UB participants and guest speakers, Jin Young Song, Yangkyu Han, Greg Serweta, Seungjae Han, Maia Peck, Sandra Zarub.
During the closing roundtable, Song raised several key questions:
- Who is the client, and how is this role evolving—particularly in generic commercial projects?
- What is the tension between space and surface, and how might the surface be reinterpreted as a container of identity and narrative?
- Can ‘time’ play an active role in shaping commercial architecture, particularly Hagwons—by promoting participation and communication through the building façade?
Jin Young Song, when asked about the planning process for this event.
The event connected people intellectually and professionally. International collaborations that approach seemingly specific local issues allow us to focus on the fundamental and global nature of underlying problems. We learn a great deal from one another by reexamining the conventions and tendencies of our own practices. Most importantly, such exchanges open up new perspectives, raising fresh questions and challenges. I believe this is what universities can offer to society—generating more questions and fostering deeper debate.
"Most of all, the participating students are deeply motivated in their classes and studios by being part of this larger investigation.," said Song. "Being given a research mission, a chance to contribute to alternatives, and an opportunity to collaborate with diverse individuals—all of this comes together in these in-person events. That’s why this meeting is so special. All of this is thanks to UB’s leadership and the generous support of the UB Office of International Education and the Department of Architecture."
Special thanks to the curation team:
- Soe Won Hwang (Chung-Ang University)
- Jin Young Song / Gregory Serweta (University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning)
- Keojin Jin/Seunghan Paek (Pusan National University)
- Kaz T. Yoneda (Japan Women’s University)
- Jimin Lee (ARUM)
This symposium was supported by: University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, Chung-Ang University, Pusan National University, Japan Women’s University, University at Buffalo Office of International Education, and DeSimone Consulting Engineers.