SPACEBASE, the Team Building Spaces That Last

Designers Cho So-yoon and Baek Seung-min on their Milan Design Week journey

New stimulation, an experience in an unfamiliar city

Designers Cho So-yoon and Baek Seung-min from the SPACEBASE team visited Milan Design Week, the world's largest design event, held in Milan, Italy. It is a gathering where designers from around the world experiment with space, objects, materials, and the senses, an event that fills designers with inspiration. The two roamed Design Week each through their own lens. So what was the scene that left the deepest impression on them?

Different perspectives, a shared attitude

First, designer Cho So-yoon named 'To Earth,' an installation work by architect Cho Byoung-soo.

"The moment of standing barefoot on soil in the middle of the city was truly special. I realized that this is what it feels like to be connected to nature through the senses."

Designer Cho So-yoon had long held deep respect for architect Cho Byoung-soo's attitude toward materials and his architectural perspective on nature, so that moment, encountered in the unfamiliar city of Milan, was etched into her all the more deeply.

Designer Baek Seung-min, on the other hand, said he was most taken with 'Library of Light,' the exhibition by artist Es Devlin installed in the courtyard of the Brera Art Gallery.

"The combination of light and shadow, of books and structure, made a strong impression. I could feel both functionality and artistry together, and I loved how visitors filled the work themselves."

He said he was deeply drawn to the way meticulous design beyond a mere structure, and visual, auditory, and emotional experiences, came together.

Though each of them looked at the exhibitions differently, it is striking that they shared an attitude centered on 'how a space connects with its users.' And this same attitude shows through clearly when the SPACEBASE team works with clients.

SPACEBASE begins with questions

When the SPACEBASE team starts a project, the first thing they ask is: who are the people working in this space, within what structure do they work, and what inconveniences do they feel?

From the organizational chart to meeting frequency, task-force composition, the number of secure monitor stations, and how often outside visitors come, they miss none of the details. For a small organization, a few visits may be enough to set the direction, but the larger the scale, the more important the questions become. The reason questions matter so much to them is that, through questions, they do not simply look at a space but grasp how people's daily lives flow within it.

Moreover, this 'attitude of asking many questions' goes beyond a simple verification step, it is SPACEBASE's core design philosophy. They firmly believe that the deeper the questions go, the more precisely a space can reach its users. And the wealth of information and impressions gathered this way becomes a vital foundation for reconciling the differing perspectives among team members. Only with a sufficient understanding of the user can different standards come to face the same direction.

Design completed through teamwork

But no matter how solid the foundation, not every project runs smoothly. There are moments, while working on a project together, when each team member's standards come to the surface. One member values the structural clarity and the empty space of a room, while another pays closer attention to the sensory quality of a finish or the movement of the user.

When opinions diverge, they reconcile toward a single direction: 'user-centered.' In the conversations they hold to reconcile, each other's opinions are received not as differences but as 'observations' of a new perspective. Through dialogue they share differing viewpoints, expand the possibilities, and ultimately complete a more dimensional and practical design.

Or they bring their opinions together through natural conversation. They first listen to why someone came to think that way and out of what background and context it arose, then together consider the direction that better fits the brand philosophy or the user's standpoint. This flexible, horizontal decision-making process is the culture of the SPACEBASE team, and the way they create 'good work.'

Turning space into a system

As a result, SPACEBASE's design sometimes functions as more than a simple spatial plan, serving as 'a company's workspace manual.' A space designed after a full understanding of the brand's identity and ways of working does not lose its direction over time and maintains consistency even amid change. This is possible not because of a one-off project but because of the solid research system and design standards that SPACEBASE has built up.

Indeed, that philosophy carried through in the projects undertaken with 'Wyeth,' 'Daangn Market,' 'Millie's Library,' and 'ESTsoft' as well. Even as floors were added or the space expanded on the basis of the initial structure, these are cases where the original design values were preserved while bringing out each brand's distinctive character.

SPACEBASE, a space design team that starts from people

The two designers did not stop at viewing 'new things' in Milan. To Earth gave them the chance to rethink how a space draws out the senses, and Library of Light let them examine how functionality and artistry come into harmony.

As the two encountered a variety of exhibitions, their senses expanded a step further, and they spent their time asking anew what kind of experience users would have within a space. This entire process became an occasion to once again confirm, and to more firmly solidify, the direction the SPACEBASE team aims for: 'people-centered space design.'

The SPACEBASE team believes that people complete a space. What matters more than structure or finishing materials is the flow and the emotions that people experience within it. Today as well, the SPACEBASE team listens closely to its clients' stories and to its own members' stories, building spaces that last longer.

*Photos courtesy of the SPACEBASE team

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