Chapter 008. The Fountain of Welcome (4)

"Great! Thanks. I'm Park No-hoon, the manager of Design Team 3. So, you'll be reporting to Design Team 3 tomorrow."

"Yes, I understand."

"Then I'll be on my way. Everyone, feel free to eat. Looking at that curtain wall, I don't think we need to worry about the quality of the model."

"Leave it to me, Manager!"

Kim Jun-ho, the assistant manager, pounded his chest with his right fist as if to say not to worry.

"Hahaha. If we win the bid, we'll have a dinner with the Design Team 3 staff. Well, good luck!"

"Yes, please go in."

Joo Hyo-sub, the team leader, went out to see Park off.

A brief silence fell in the model room, where only three people remained.

Soon, Ji-yeon looked at Ye-geon with envious eyes and said,

"Wow~. Getting your sketching skills recognized by the manager, that's great. Ye-geon."

"Indeed. I used to be pretty good at sketching when I was in college."

"Hey~. You even write strangely."

"Ah~. This guy doesn't know anything. Drawing well and writing well are different things."

"Yes, yes. How could you not? Ye-geon, the ice is all melted. Come on."

At Ji-yeon's urging, Ye-geon finished attaching the last panel to the acrylic and approached the table where the snacks were laid out.

Perhaps due to the sudden tension from Park No-hoon's unexpected proposal, his throat felt strangely dry.

He let the playful banter of the two employees flow past him like white noise, took a coffee with plenty of ice, and sipped it through a straw.

Wow! It's so delicious?

The worries that had plagued him all day seemed to vanish with that sip of coffee.

* * *

The model room of Geunlim Architecture is on the second floor.

The design office is divided into the third and fourth floors of the building.

In the elevator hall of the third floor, where Design Team 3 is located.

Arriving a little earlier than usual, Ye-geon adjusted his clothes and entered the automatic doors.

'Design Team 3...'

At that moment, he noticed a man in jogging clothes brushing his teeth and approaching in his direction.

"Excuse me, where is Design Team 3?"

The man paused his brushing and looked Ye-geon up and down.

Then he pointed to a spot in the direction from which Ye-geon had come.

"Thank you."

As Ye-geon bowed slightly and tried to pass by, the man, noticing the word "intern" on his employee badge, asked,

"Why Design Team 3?"

"Ah! I'm Ye-geon from the model team. Yesterday, Manager Park No-hoon said I should come here for a while..."

He was about to say to ask for help but slightly changed his words.

"He told me to visit."

He almost got carried away without realizing it.

He became cautious, thinking that even a single word could lower the other person's dignity.

Now, he was no longer the master architect Gaudi but a rookie, and it was natural to try to make a good impression on his superiors.

Having already experienced countless times that social skills are important, he knew how to navigate the workplace.

"Ah~. The manager... Follow me."

The man stopped walking and turned to guide Ye-geon.

"Everyone is busy because the deadline is coming up. The manager will arrive around 9. Wait here for a bit."

He pointed to a table cluttered with various books and headed back to the bathroom.

It was 8:30.

Feeling bored waiting for 30 minutes, Ye-geon picked up one of the architecture books on the table.

The 20th-century German architect also used iron and glass as primary materials.

Unlike Gaudi, who preferred the natural curves of nature, he mainly showcased building designs with straight lines, especially horizontal lines.

As he flipped through the book, which captured the architect's world, he saw styles similar to the buildings commonly seen in Seoul today.

Smooth glass, pillar-like structures, and high-rise buildings made of iron and glass with simple and repetitive architectural finishes.

"Less is More. An endless pursuit of pure form."

Isn't it amazing?

Even using the same materials, they could create such different results.

Gaudi believed that all architecture should emulate nature.

Nature, God's creation, was the most perfect design.

His architecture naturally resembled natural objects and prioritized harmony with the surroundings.

He preferred smooth curves to perfect straight lines in interior spaces.

However, Mies van der Rohe's architecture was aligned with Plato's idea that absolute beauty is geometry.

Idea and geometry.

Modern architecture that pursues geometric spaces with pure forms.

Gaudi had to reflect on his past, when he mocked Plato's philosophy that nature is merely a imitation of the Idea as nonsense.

Gaudi felt a bit bitter that modern buildings preferred Mies van der Rohe's design over his own architectural style.

'Who would have thought the world would change so much?'

Soaring labor costs, diverse building materials due to technological advancements, and rapidly changing realities made him anxious about becoming complacent with the past.

"Ah! Ye-geon, you're here early."

Manager Park No-hoon, who had just arrived, greeted Ye-geon warmly.

He had been so engrossed in reading that he didn't realize it was already 9 o'clock.

The empty seats were now filled with employees.

Manager Park introduced Ye-geon to the team.

"Ye-geon from the model team is here to support us today. If you need anything, just let us know. Your seniors will help you."

"Yes, I understand."

Since there were no empty seats in Team 3, Ye-geon had to sit at the conference table to work.

"Clear away those books for a moment. I'll bring the materials."

"Yes."

Manager Park went to his desk, and Ye-geon started organizing the books on the table.

There were many books he hadn't seen in the school library.

The latest case studies on comprehensive hospital design.

A collection of winning entries from design competitions.

Just as he finished neatly stacking the books, Manager Park approached the table with A3 paper and a book.

He sat next to Ye-geon and began explaining.

"Well... You don't need to feel too pressured. I just want to borrow some better ideas."

"Yes."

Manager Park started explaining the overall concept of the Newbo Hospital, and Ye-geon was impressed by the theme of "Architecture of Sharing, Space of Healing."

Moreover, designing such a large hospital was something even his past self had never done, which piqued his interest.

"Hospitals are very complex spaces. There are as many people who come for medical reasons as there are those who visit for other purposes."

Doctors, caregivers, nurses, insurance company employees, and more.

This place, a comprehensive hospital, sees over a thousand people every day.

Additionally, the hospital system, medical laws, and medical specialties are constantly changing.

Manager Park explained that focusing solely on the function of the space could lower its efficiency.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we can ignore function. Especially the flow of movement is crucial. Doctors have to go back and forth between outpatient clinics and wards multiple times a day. Now, let's move on to the hospital's layout. What you need to do is..."

Manager Park unfolded the first-floor plan.

"Here, I want to create a small park around the main entrance."

"A park...?"

"Yes, we've named this space 'The Fountain of Welcome.'"

"Hmm? There's no fountain?"

"Hahaha. It's a metaphor. We hope that visiting this place will invigorate people."

"Oh, I see."

This small 100-pyeong space, a tiny part of the large site where the hospital will be built, is a place everyone must pass through to enter the building.

Ye-geon's eyes sparkled.

He was confident about designing a park.

"I'd like to infuse this space with a bit of Gaudi's spirit. Is it possible?"

'Gaudi's spirit.'

That's a piece of cake.

Ye-geon answered confidently.

"I'll give it a try."

"Great, show us your skills."

* * *

When Gaudi first arrived at the farm Guell had recently bought in Montanya Bella, he couldn't understand why Guell had purchased such barren land.

"Count, is your recent business not going well?"

"No, it's going well."

"But why this land?"

"Hahaha. Why did I buy such barren land? You're an architect, but you don't know how to evaluate land."

Being told that an architect doesn't know how to evaluate land was insulting, but Gaudi held his tongue.

Guell had given him a golden opportunity, so there was no reason to upset him.

"I'll build a large suburban housing complex here. If you climb that mountain, you can see the entire city of Barcelona.

Houses that overlook Barcelona! I can already picture wealthy people bringing piles of money to me."

Gaudi looked up at the mountain again.

With such a steep slope, who would want to climb it?

Even walking on flat ground would be difficult with chronic arthritis, let alone building houses on the mountain slopes.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem likely that tycoons would bring money to buy suburban houses.

'A park would be nice.'

But Guell was a thorough businessman.

He wouldn't dedicate his wealth to the city of Barcelona.

When they reached the mountain slopes, the view of Barcelona was indeed breathtaking, stretching to the horizon of the Mediterranean Sea, like a beautiful oil painting.

'No matter how I think about it, a park would be perfect.'

It seemed unfair that only the rich could enjoy such a beautiful view.

Gaudi felt a sense of regret as he surveyed the site.

Looking down at the entire site from the mountain slopes, his regret only grew.

"Isn't it beautiful? Here, you can escape the complexities of the city and live a life like in an English suburban town. A suburban town with your mesmerizing architectural skills! It will surely be a huge issue."

'With the client's firm intention, there's no choice but to make the suburban housing complex as impressive as a park. Since it's a place for the wealthy, the scenery within the complex must be beautiful.'

"I'll do my best to design it."

"Just doing your best won't be enough! Show people what artistic architecture is!"

Guell was already deeply immersed in his new vision.

"If you wish, Count, I'll make it a masterpiece of the century!"

Gaudi answered confidently, and Guell patted his shoulder with a satisfied smile.

Gaudi began to imagine the barren mountain slopes turning into a park as he surveyed the site with Count Guell.

Even if they had different dreams, it didn't matter.

After all, Gaudi held the knife.

* * *

He didn't really expect anything truly remarkable from Ye-geon's design.

If he could just see a fresh and creative design from a college student and get some inspiration, that would be enough.

However, the floor plan sketch Ye-geon drew in just half a day was far beyond his expectations.

Park No-hoon, frozen in place, silently immersed himself in the sketch.

'Is this guy really that talented?'

Yesterday, out of curiosity, he had already reviewed Ye-geon's resume from the HR department.

Confirming that Ye-geon was from Korea University, he was honestly puzzled.

Given Ye-geon's model-making skills, he thought Ye-geon would fit better at Hongin University, which emphasizes the artistic and sculptural aspects of architecture, rather than Korea University, which focuses on architectural theory and philosophy.

After examining Ye-geon's work in detail for a while, Park asked,

"Can you explain the design and the intentions behind it?"

Without any hesitation, Ye-geon began his explanation.