Documenting the 10 years of Puhahaha Friends, always in the process

A book documenting the 10 years of the young architect group Puhahaha Friends has been published by Mimesis.
Puhahaha Friends is an architectural firm co-founded in 2013 by three architects, Hanjin Yoon, Seungjae Han, and Yanggyu Han. Currently, thirteen people work together to create large-scale buildings such as HYBE, Seongsu Federation, This Is Never That, Around, and Ter 101.
Puhahaha Friends is famous for their unique architecture, but they are also known for their good writing.
When they first decided to publish their own book, the thirteen of them got together and decided on the spot what each person would write for each project.
Both format and quantity are free.
You can swear, write poetry, or draw an MBTI chart.
『We are always in the process』, which consists of a total of 42 chapters, is full of the fun of reading.
Some of the writing is short stories, some is just an architectural checklist, and it's still funny.


Not only the three directors, but even the writings of employees who interned for a few months and then left the company are full of their own individuality.
Each faucet is relocated into one of the 18 structures built by Puhahaha, and you naturally learn what emotions were felt and what happened when each building was built.
As you can see from the cover, the title of the book, “We are always in the process,” is Puhahaha’s motto.
One day, we decided to hold a contest to create a motto, post the candidate mottos on Facebook, and have people vote to decide.
The candidate who received the most votes was 'We are always in a process'.
At first, I was wondering if I could reverse the vote on this motto, resenting the humor of those who voted for it, but now everyone loves this sentence so much.
Because the construction of Puhahaha Friends is always in process.

Taking measurements is more troublesome and unpleasant than you think.
Even if you work hard, the results are not good and errors are bound to continue to occur.
That's why, when I go to the site, I often use a laser cutter to measure the width, length, and height once and then come back.
But if we stop here, we will never end up making excuses to block the storm that will come later.

--- p.34

Yang Gyu's architecture has no human touch.
Only when emotions are excluded can Yanggyu stand upright.
Thorough structure, formality, and strict order were not pursued, but remained.
This is also the difference between structuralist architects and Yang Gyu.

--- p.51

In Seungjae's recently designed Yeonhui-dong house (an alley within the house), the veranda functions as a device that connects the neighborhood and every corner of the house.
Seungjae uses the device called veranda when talking about connection and uses the expression [desperately].
It is interesting that in Seungjae's space, the veranda can no longer be a confined space.

--- p.87

The ThisIsNeverThat project has a special meaning to me.
Thisisneverthat was a project that gave me the opportunity to revisit my thoughts on architecture, which had been fading away over the years of my work.
One of the most memorable was the question of how the curtain wall we planned would meet the concrete panels used in the existing building.
I didn't want to mix the two materials together with an easy material like silicone and end up with a blunt finish.

--- p.93

The architecture and interiors throughout Seoul are full of such plays.
It is full of places that are made to seem as if they are still valid today, even though their prototypes are all romantic images created by industrial situations of different times or constructive images of materials from a specific era.
Because it is a space with a short lifespan, using cheap, easy, and lightweight materials to make it look old and eternal is far beyond the threshold of past rustification.

--- p.112~113

A total of 40 site visits and meetings were held over a period of six months (approximately 27 weeks) until the HYBE site was operational and completed.
This means that an average of 1.5 meetings are held per week.
Once a meeting started, it usually lasted all day.
So, 1.5 days out of 5 days a week were lost to attending meetings.
But it didn't end there.
All that remained was to proofread the minutes, compare them with other minutes, and polish them, which was a day's work in itself.
About half of the week was spent writing meeting minutes.

--- p.128~129

Just as everyone uses different ingredients and methods to make kimchi stew, the construction process is the same.
The process by which architecture, the largest artificial object that humans can create, stands tall cannot but be the product of purely subjective thought.
Therefore, realistic restrictions such as laws and regulations cannot come first.
The moment we first contemplate and define the essence of existence, the building ceases to be an artificial object and acquires the soul of a natural object.

--- p.134

For architects, who plan to build walls to keep out wild animals, roofs to keep out the cold rain and hot sun, and fences to protect what is theirs from others, breaking down their own positions to welcome others has long been a professional contradiction and a source of pride.

--- p.187

[We are always in a process.] Some people think of architecture as a process.
I thought that if what we do were verbs rather than nouns, then architecture could be endless caretaking.

--- p.227

This is the home of dung beetles.
A scene of life strewn with shit scattered everywhere.

--- p.338

It's always difficult to talk about our work.
Because our creations always start from something we hate.
We've been asked many times about the values ​​we pursue, but we've never been able to give a satisfactory answer.
I couldn't even come up with a lie to the persistent question, "So what do you really want to do?"
What we actually want to do is always changing, and we don't always have a consistent reason for what we want to do.

--- p.370

The question, “What do you pursue through architecture?” is no different from the question, “What do you live for?”
Every act of life is a struggle to forget.
Running away from something that cannot be escaped.
That alone can be the sole motive for action.

--- p.377

When I think that through someone else's work I can understand the person who created it, that is also, to some extent, understanding myself.
The decorations he devised made it clear that life is a play and architecture is the stage for the play.

--- p.383

This is a group similar to the tidal flats off the coast of Incheon.
It's not easy to get out.

--- p.433

But we are in the process.
The process is something that can never be reached.
We dream of perfection, but we cannot become perfect. We dream of eternity, but we cannot become eternal.

--- p.468