From ashes to architectural hotspot, Gangneung temple draws global attention

A Buddhist temple and two other architectural landmarks in Gangneung are drawing attention for their design and history. Inwol Temple near Gyeongpo Lake won a WA Award from the World Architecture Community in March after being rebuilt following a 2023 wildfire. Sorol Art Museum, perched on a hill in Gyodong 7 Park, is notable for being built closely to its architectural rendering and for hosting a Kim Chong-hak exhibition through Oct. 25. Imdangdong Catholic Church, built in 1955, helped shape the style of later Catholic churches in Gangwon Province.

Inwol Temple was rebuilt after it burned down in a wildfire that swept through the area in April 2023.

The temple won a WA Award from the World Architecture Community in March.

Sorol Art Museum is part of the Gangneung Museum of Art and sits 62 meters above sea level in Gyodong 7 Park.

Sorol is hosting a special exhibition devoted to Kim Chong-hak through Oct. 25.

Imdangdong Catholic Church was designated National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 457 in 2010.

Published Sep 6, 2026 12:00 am KST

Inwol Temple’s Indra Wall in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, features a distinctive design that bears little resemblance to conventional Buddhist temple architecture. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

The main prayer hall is reflected in an artificial pond symbolizing the Mirror of Karma at Inwol Temple’s Indra Wall. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

A wall of brightly colored rectangles floods the field of vision, creating a unique facade for a Buddhist temple. It traces a gentle curve, turning people's thoughts to the temple’s monks as they sit in meditation. Will this rid them of worldly thoughts, or sweep them away in a flood of ideas and inspiration?

The wall belongs to Inwol Temple, near Gyeongpo Lake in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. This March, the temple drew international attention after winning a WA Award from the World Architecture Community. Word quickly spread that the temple was an example of “hip Buddhism,” even helping fuel memes.

The temple is only one of Gangneung’s noteworthy architectural spaces. From Inwol Temple to the Sorol Art Museum, a public building that somehow emerged looking just like its architectural rendering, the coastal city hides a number of stylish spaces.

Inwol Temple is designed in a sweeping curve, evoking the shape of the Buddha’s eyebrow. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Front and rear views of the Indra Wall at Inwol Temple / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

The ‘temple that looks nothing like one'

Inwol Temple is a single crescent-shaped building, modeled after the curve of the Buddha’s eyebrow. Rather than divide its long, narrow site into a separate prayer hall and meditation center, the architects brought both together into one structure and placed a lobby at its center. The roof follows an irregular curve of its own, designed to settle naturally into the surrounding landscape.

The temple’s signature multicolored wall is known as the “Indra Wall.” Its colored blocks join together to form a netlike screen embodying Indra’s Net, the Buddhist vision of a universe in which all beings are interconnected and reflect one another. The temple describes it as a contemporary interpretation of dancheong, the traditional Korean decorative painting found on Buddhist buildings.

The holes puncturing the blocks allow light and wind to pass through. Symbolically, they represent surrendering a little of one’s own color to communicate more freely with the world. In front lies a pond called the “Mirror of Karma.” Before entering the temple grounds, visitors are invited to look at themselves in the water and reflect inwardly.

First-time visitors may find the temple unexpectedly modest compared to Korea's celebrated ancient temples, which tend to proclaim their long histories through imposing prayer halls and sprawling grounds.

Inwol Temple, by contrast, rewards slow and attentive exploration. Walking along the Indra Wall, visitors begin to notice its subtler details. The pattern shifts with their line of sight. From a distance, the wall appears crisp and uniform but up close, that immaculate image dissolves, revealing the coarse grain of concrete with dents and indentations scattered across its surface.

The interior of Inwol Temple resembles an ordinary Buddhist prayer hall where worshippers come to pray. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Inwol Temple sits on a hill behind a small apartment complex in Gangneung. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Its rather dazzling exterior may lead visitors to expect an equally flamboyant interior, but inside is a scene of monastic tranquility. Monks quietly chant before an unassuming statue of the Buddha. Across the lobby from the main prayer hall is the temple dining room, where two unusual house specialties are made and sold: coffee-flavored and peony-flavored sikhye, a traditional sweet rice drink.

The temple was once a small temple visited almost exclusively by local worshippers, perched on a hill behind an ordinary residential neighborhood. After it burned to the ground in a wildfire that swept through the area in April 2023, it was rebuilt in its present form.

The decision to embrace contemporary architecture rather than recreate a traditional temple had a surprisingly practical rationale. According to media interviews given at the time, traditional timber construction would have been considerably more expensive and placed greater constraints on the use of space, so the temple chose concrete instead.

Because Inwol Temple housed no notable cultural assets, it was ineligible for restoration assistance. The flip side was that it was under no obligation to reproduce its original form.

Inspiration reportedly came when the temple’s abbot, the Venerable Jaebeom, visited the military meditation center on a military base, designed by architect Yun Gyeong-sik. “This is it,” he thought, and personally commissioned Yun to design the new temple.

The Sorol Art Museum, part of the Gangneung Museum of Art, has a pristine appearance. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Part of the museum is seen from below. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

An aloof, pristine museum perched on a hill

The Sorol Art Museum, part of the Gangneung Museum of Art and located in Gyodong 7 Park, is that rare building constructed “exactly as it appeared in the architectural rendering,” with virtually none of the original vision lost along the way.

The building was designed by Meier Partners, the firm founded by renowned architect Richard Meier, known for his devotion to the color white. The person who led the project was Dukho Yeon, a Korean American senior designer who spent more than 30 years at the firm.

The museum was built by the park’s developer and donated to the city. One condition imposed by the Gangneung city government was that the building be designed by an overseas architectural firm. Because the developer commissioned Meier Partners with a clear understanding of its architectural philosophy, the firm was reportedly given broad control over the project throughout construction.

Perched on a hill 62 meters above sea level, the museum remains hidden from the road leading into downtown Gangneung. Follow the pedestrian path uphill, however, and the white building slowly reveals itself. That sense of anticipation, inviting visitors to imagine what awaits as they approach, was precisely what the architect intended.

As more of the building enters the field of vision, its uncompromising commitment to pure white becomes obvious. The space seems to declare that when form is perfect, color becomes little more than an encumbrance. Gleaming white atop the hill, the museum has something of the aloof grandeur of a ancient temple.

An aerial view of the Sorol Art Museum shows a ramp extending across the grounds. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

An interior view of an exhibition gallery at the Sorol Art Museum / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

The museum consists of three pavilions arranged around a central courtyard, which is encircled by a shallow reflecting pool. The composition recalls the courtyard of a traditional Korean "hanok" building. A long ramp extending away from the main entrance is the building’s pivotal feature, linking indoors with outdoors and the first floor with the second. It is disappointing, however, that the second-floor entrance at the end of the ramp is normally kept closed to accommodate the museum’s exhibition route.

Inside, the feast of white continues. At art school, one of the first rituals of preparing a graduation exhibition is making pristine white plinths on which the works will be displayed. Students scrub away the marks left by the previous exhibition and apply a fresh coat of white paint, creating a blank stage on which the art can command attention. Sorol gives the impression that the entire museum is one vast white plinth, built to let the artworks stand out.

The interior of the Sorol Art Museum is dominated by pure white. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

An exhibition at the Sorol Art Museum / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Museums are generally designed to keep sunlight out, protecting artwork from damage caused by ultraviolet rays. Sorol takes the opposite approach: It was designed around the principle of drawing as much natural light as possible into the building.

That philosophy finds its clearest expression in a small alcove projecting from the first-floor exhibition area. Natural light pours through a triangular opening with softly rounded corners in the ceiling. Because the alcove is partly separated from the main gallery, the light does not reach the other works. It is a meticulous piece of design that remains faithful to the architect’s philosophy while staying mindful of the space’s primary purpose. The alcove currently houses a work titled “Play.”

Sorol is currently hosting a special exhibition devoted to Kim Chong-hak, a major figure in Korean contemporary art known for his vivid depictions of Mount Seorak. The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 25, also includes a recreation of his studio, complete with the artist’s tools, work clothes and even paints.

Imdangdong Catholic Church, the prototype for Gangwon’s churches

Imdangdong Catholic Church in downtown Gangneung was built in 1955, when the scars of the Korean War had yet to fade. It preserves the architectural style typical of Catholic churches constructed across Gangwon Province during that period. Its defining features include a bell tower, a steeply pitched roof, lancet-arched windows and buttresses that distribute the weight of the exterior walls.

Imdangdong Catholic Church in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 457. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Considering the circumstances of the time, the church was built with remarkable grandeur. Perhaps for that reason, many churches subsequently built across the region were modeled on it, using it as an architectural prototype. The church was designated National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 457 in 2010.

Stained-glass windows are concealed and can be viewed only from inside the church. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

The stained glass inside the church was created and installed in 1992 by the Rev. Cho Kwang-ho, a Catholic priest and stained glass artist. After studying art in Germany and Austria, Cho returned to Korea and went on to create stained glass works for churches including Namcheon Cathedral in Busan and Pyeongchon Catholic Church in Anyang. Imdangdong was his first project in Korea.

Unusually, the windows are double-layered, with ordinary glass on the outside and stained glass within. As a result, what glows with color from the interior looks like an ordinary window when viewed from outside.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

江陵的一座佛教寺庙和另外两处建筑地标因其设计和历史而备受瞩目。位于景浦湖附近的仁月寺在2023年山火后重建，并于今年3月荣获世界建筑社区颁发的WA奖。坐落在教洞7号公园山坡上的素罗美术馆，因其与设计图纸高度吻合而引人注目，目前正在举办金钟鹤的展览，展期至10月25日。建于1955年的临堂洞天主教堂，对江原道后来的天主教堂风格产生了深远的影响。

仁沃尔寺在 2023 年 4 月席卷该地区的野火中被烧毁后重建。

该寺庙于三月份荣获世界建筑界颁发的WA奖。

索罗尔美术馆是江陵市立美术馆的一部分，位于桥洞7号公园内，海拔62米。

Sorol 正在举办金钟鹤作品特展，展期至 10 月 25 日。

临堂洞天主教堂于2010年被指定为国家注册文化遗产第457号。

发布于2026年9月6日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

位于江原道江陵市的仁月寺因陀罗墙设计独特，与传统的佛教寺庙建筑风格迥异。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

仁月寺因陀罗墙上的主祈祷殿倒映在象征业力之镜的人工池塘中。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

一面由色彩鲜艳的矩形组成的墙占据了视野，为这座佛教寺庙打造了独特的外观。它勾勒出一条柔和的曲线，引人将思绪引向寺庙中正在冥想的僧侣。这会让他们摆脱世俗的烦恼，还是会让他们沉浸在灵感和思想的洪流中呢？

这面墙属于位于江原道江陵市镜浦湖附近的仁月寺。今年三月，仁月寺荣获世界建筑社区颁发的WA奖，引起了国际关注。很快，仁月寺被誉为“潮牌佛教”的典范，甚至催生了一些网络迷因。

这座寺庙只是江陵众多值得一提的建筑之一。从仁月寺到索罗尔美术馆（一座最终建成后与设计图几乎一模一样的公共建筑），这座沿海城市隐藏着许多风格独特的场所。

仁月寺采用流畅的曲线设计，形似佛陀的眉毛。韩国时报 李汉浩摄

仁月寺因陀罗墙的正面和背面照片 / 韩国时报 李汉浩摄

“看起来一点也不像寺庙”

仁月寺是一座新月形的单体建筑，其造型仿照佛陀眉间的弧度。建筑师并没有将狭长的场地分割成独立的祈祷殿和禅修中心，而是将两者融为一体，并在中心位置设置了门厅。屋顶本身也呈不规则的弧形，旨在与周围的自然景观自然融合。

寺庙标志性的彩色墙壁被称为“因陀罗墙”。这些彩色石块拼接成网状屏风，象征着因陀罗网——佛教中万物互联、相互映照的宇宙观。寺庙将其描述为对丹青（韩国佛教建筑上常见的传统装饰绘画）的现代诠释。

石块上的孔洞可以让光线和微风穿过。象征意义上，它们代表着为了更自由地与世界交流，需要舍弃一部分自我色彩。前方是一个名为“业力之镜”的池塘。在进入寺庙之前，游客们会被邀请在水中凝视自己，进行内省。

与韩国著名的古老寺庙相比，初次到访的游客可能会觉得这座寺庙出乎意料地朴素，韩国的古老寺庙往往通过宏伟的祈祷大厅和广阔的场地来彰显其悠久的历史。

相比之下，因沃尔寺更适合细细品味。沿着因陀罗墙漫步，游客会逐渐注意到它更为微妙的细节。随着视线的移动，墙面的纹路也会随之变化。远观时，墙面线条清晰流畅，但走近后，这种完美无瑕的印象便会消散，露出混凝土粗糙的纹理，以及散布在墙面上的凹凸不平。

仁月寺内部与普通的佛教祈祷殿并无二致，信徒们前来祈祷。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

仁月寺坐落在江陵一处小型公寓楼后的小山上。韩国时报 李汉浩摄

其耀眼夺目的外观或许会让游客期待同样华丽的内部装潢，但内部却是一片宁静祥和的寺院景象。僧侣们在朴素的佛像前静静诵经。穿过大厅，与主祈祷厅隔街相望的是寺庙餐厅，那里制作并出售两种别具特色的特色饮品：咖啡味和牡丹味的甜米酒（sikhye）。

这座寺庙曾经是一座小型寺庙，几乎只有当地信徒才会前来参拜，它坐落在普通居民区后面的一座小山上。2023年4月，一场野火席卷该地区，寺庙被夷为平地，之后重建，成为现在的样子。

选择采用现代建筑风格而非重建传统寺庙的决定，其背后有着出人意料的务实考量。根据当时媒体的采访，传统的木结构建筑造价更高，且对空间利用的限制更大，因此寺庙最终选择了混凝土结构。

由于仁月寺内并无重要的文化遗产，因此不符合修缮援助的条件。但另一方面，它也没有义务完全恢复原貌。

据说，寺庙住持宰范法师参观了由建筑师尹京植设计的军事基地内的军事冥想中心后，获得了灵感。“就是它了，”他心想，并亲自委托尹京植设计新寺庙。

索罗尔美术馆是江陵美术馆的一部分，外观整洁如新。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

从下方拍摄的博物馆部分景象。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

一座静谧而原始的博物馆坐落在山丘之上

索罗尔美术馆是江陵美术馆的一部分，位于教洞7号公园内。这座罕见的建筑“完全按照建筑效果图建造”，几乎没有丢失任何最初的设计理念。

这座建筑由迈耶建筑事务所设计，该事务所由著名建筑师理查德·迈耶创立，他以钟爱白色而闻名。该项目的负责人是韩裔美籍资深设计师延德浩，他在事务所工作了30多年。

这座博物馆由公园开发商建造并捐赠给江陵市。江陵市政府提出的条件之一是，建筑设计必须由海外建筑事务所完成。由于开发商委托了迈尔建筑事务所，并且对其建筑理念有着清晰的理解，据报道，该事务所在整个施工过程中拥有广泛的控制权。

博物馆坐落在海拔62米的山丘上，从通往江陵市中心的公路上很难看到它。然而，沿着人行道向上走，这座白色的建筑便会慢慢映入眼帘。这种令人期待的感觉，引导着参观者在接近时去想象眼前的一切，正是建筑师的用意所在。

随着建筑的更多部分进入视野，其对纯白的执着追求变得显而易见。这空间仿佛在宣告：当形式完美无瑕时，色彩便沦为累赘。这座洁白闪耀的博物馆矗立于山顶，散发着古老神庙般高贵典雅的气息。

从空中俯瞰索罗尔美术馆，可以看到一条坡道横跨整个园区。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

索罗尔美术馆展览馆内部景象 / 韩国时报 李汉浩摄

博物馆由围绕中央庭院的三座展馆组成，庭院四周环绕着一个浅浅的倒影池。这种布局令人联想起韩国传统韩屋的庭院。一条从主入口延伸出去的长坡道是建筑的核心特色，它连接着室内外空间以及一楼和二楼。然而令人遗憾的是，位于坡道尽头的二楼入口通常为了配合博物馆的展览路线而关闭。

室内，白色的盛宴仍在继续。在艺术院校，毕业展筹备的首要仪式之一，便是制作洁白无瑕的展台，作品将置于其上展出。学生们擦去上次展览留下的痕迹，再涂上一层崭新的白漆，打造出一个空白的舞台，让艺术作品得以充分展现。索罗尔给人的感觉是，整个博物馆仿佛就是一个巨大的白色展台，专为衬托艺术作品而建。

索罗尔美术馆内部以纯白色为主色调。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

索罗尔美术馆展览 / 《韩国时报》李汉浩摄

博物馆通常的设计都力求阻挡阳光，以保护艺术品免受紫外线损害。索罗尔博物馆则反其道而行之：它的设计理念是尽可能地将自然光引入建筑内部。

这种理念在一楼展厅延伸出的一个小型壁龛中得到了最清晰的体现。自然光透过天花板上一个边角柔和的三角形开口倾泻而入。由于壁龛与主展厅部分隔开，光线无法照射到其他作品。这是一个精妙的设计，既忠实于建筑师的理念，又兼顾了空间的主要功能。壁龛目前展出的是一件名为“游戏”的作品。

索罗尔美术馆目前正在举办一场金钟鹤的特别展览，金钟鹤是韩国当代艺术的重要人物，以其生动描绘雪岳山的作品而闻名。展览将持续至10月25日，展品还包括金钟鹤工作室的复原场景，其中陈列着艺术家的工具、工作服，甚至还有颜料。

临堂洞天主教堂，江原道教堂的原型

位于江陵市中心的临堂洞天主教堂建于1955年，当时朝鲜战争的创伤尚未完全消退。它保留了当时江原道各地天主教堂的典型建筑风格。其显著特征包括钟楼、陡峭的屋顶、尖拱窗以及用于分散外墙重量的扶壁。

江原道江陵市的临堂洞天主教堂被列为国家注册文化遗产第 457 号。韩国时报 摄影：Lee Han-ho

考虑到当时的时代背景，这座教堂的建造可谓宏伟壮丽。或许正因如此，后来该地区建造的许多教堂都以它为蓝本，将其作为建筑原型。该教堂于2010年被列为国家注册文化遗产第457号。

教堂内的彩色玻璃窗被隐藏起来，只能从教堂内部观赏。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

教堂内的彩色玻璃窗由天主教神父兼彩色玻璃艺术家赵光浩神父于1992年创作并安装。赵光浩神父曾在德国和奥地利学习艺术，之后回到韩国，为包括釜山南川天主教堂和安阳平村天主教堂在内的多座教堂创作彩色玻璃作品。临堂洞教堂是他回到韩国后的第一个项目。

这些窗户很特别，采用了双层结构，外层是普通玻璃，内层是彩色玻璃。因此，从外面看，窗户内部散发出的色彩与普通窗户并无二致。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。