Architect David Chipperfield presented the moon jar as a motif in his design for the Amorepacific headquarters. It's a relief that the direct visual connection between the moon jar's spherical shape and the headquarters' cubical design isn't immediately apparent. Instead, Chipperfield drew ‘inspiration’ from our unique aesthetic ‘sensation’ embedded within the moon jar, translating not its physical form or material but that exceptional ‘sensation’ into the abstract realm of architecture. The modest, rustic beauty of the moon jar, its low center of gravity, its sense of proportion, its restrained expression of presence; the moon jar represents a metaphor intrinsically linked with our architectural world. Thus, one hopes not to overexplain or overtly seek out this metaphor.

Photographer Koo Bon-chang, who has been instrumental in defining the moon jar in terms of Korean aesthetics today, produced works that might be more aesthetic and traditional than the moon jar itself. His photographs capture a world of emotionless, neutral, pale ink. It's the moment our tradition becomes modern. I wonder if I'm the only one sensing this realm of pale ink within the Amorepacific headquarters' atrium. Sitting on the second-floor terrace, I gazed vacantly for a long time. Then, it dawned upon me that this space had light but no shadows. While most atriums form a landscape reminiscent of Impressionist paintings with stark contrasts of light and shadow, here, every object and movement merges into the depths of pale ink. A deep moat surrounds the ground floor of the vast square space, and the light from the skylights scatters through the pond's water and a deep grid-like well structure. Consequently, the atrium basks in light without casting shadows. A typical corporate tower with tall, narrow curtain walls would not have achieved such a rustic, emotionless spatial expression and depth.

On September 25th, when I visited the headquarters, a guest lecture by architect David Chipperfield was held at Amore Hall. Five years after he designed the headquarters, he was again the center of global attention, winning the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2023 — often dubbed the Nobel of Architecture. Leading figures in the domestic architectural community, the general public, and Amorepacific employees — over 400 attendees — graced the event. During the lecture, he shared his architectural philosophy and the background and intention behind the headquarters' design. One statement resonated in my ears: “This building isn't just a beautiful building or merely a beautiful design. It declares new values and principles for our society and city.”