Belvedere in Saya Park
Álvaro Siza Vieira and Carlos Castanheira have designed a complex of three buildings – an art pavilion, a chapel and an observation tower – in North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea.
We cross Saya Park through a pine forest.
Taking in the immediate landscape; we are absorbed by Nature.
The views are filtered through gnarled branches and low-lying vegetation.
A tower built of exposed concrete sits up on a little hill.
It is sited above the valley, trying to make it narrower.
Curiosity draws us into the tower, to climb and reach the top.
On our way up, we pass windows that give views out; fleeting glimpses.
At the top a balcony opens to the South. We gaze and are dazzled.
The deep valley is crushed by the scale of the mountains and their history.
The descent provokes introspection as we return to earth.
The almost raw finish of the exposed concrete contrasts with the purity of the form.
Despite its simple appearance, the essence of the tower is complex.
Its function is the essence of Architecture.
Carlos Castanheira
