Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 194

Ethan Clark was a famous architect from London, England. His family had been architects for many generations. Ethan himself was very respected in Britain. He had designed many buildings just in London. He was even the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a very important group for architects in Britain. And he was also an honorary professor at the AA School, which is known as the best architecture school in Britain.

However, even with his high position in British architecture, he wasn’t a star architect like Bruno.

He had created many designs and plans, but none of his buildings had gained worldwide recognition so far.

You could describe him as a ‘reliable architect’.

Even in his sixties, he was still working in architecture.

He might not design buildings with amazing, new ideas, but he always created good buildings that were better than average.

He always thought basic things were most important when designing buildings.

Because of this, many young architects in the UK respected him.

Ethan Clark was this kind of architect.

[Professor, are you coming to the conference?]

“Of course. I have to go. It’s been a while since a conference was held in London.”

[Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor.]

“Heh heh. I will.”

As an honorary professor at the AA School, Ethan Clark was scheduled to attend the EAC (Europe Architecture Conference) the next day.

He always went to conferences, no matter where they were in Europe.

There was no reason not to go to the conference in London, which was very close to him, and at the AA School, where he had been a professor for over ten years.

Also, he had another reason to go.

His studio had been working on a pavilion project in Hyde Park, and it would be finished in a few days.

He needed to visit Hyde Park.

[A pavilion by ‘Ethan Clark’, a master of British architecture, will be on display in London’s Hyde Park from November 11th.]

[The ‘Mastaba’, which will be placed on the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, is Ethan Clark’s first pavilion to be shown in London’s outdoor public space.]

[It is a large pavilion made by connecting more than 8,000 steel hexahedrons and more than three times that number of long and short steel bars…]

Actually, Ethan Clark didn’t design the pavilion in Hyde Park himself.

Junior architects in his studio worked on the project, but he helped with it, and his studio was in charge of the project.

Ethan Clark’s name was written about in the article first.

‘It looked good in the photos, but I should see what it looks like in person.’

So, Ethan went to Hyde Park that day.

It was the day before the conference.

He had arrived in London early to book his hotel room.

As he entered Hyde Park, the pavilion designed by the younger architects in his studio began to appear in the distance.

The air in Hyde Park was crisp and cool, the late autumn leaves crunching under Ethan’s polished shoes. As he walked further into the park, the pavilion, designed by the younger architects in his studio, came into view in the distance. The steel structure glinted in the weak sunlight. A small, satisfied smile touched Ethan’s lips. He was eager to see it up close.

Until he heard some young Asian people talking.

“If you look closely, the pattern of the connected steel bars looks like a honeycomb, right?”

“Yeah. It seems like each one of these was designed separately… Whoever designed this must have worked really hard.”

The two Asian people were talking excitedly in a language Ethan didn’t understand.

‘Chinese? No, the accent doesn’t sound Chinese… Japanese?’

At first, he was just going to walk past them.

They were talking excitedly while looking at the pavilion, and he thought they were just students who were very interested in architecture.

‘Are they students studying design? Good for them, good for them.’

However, as he walked, he had to stop again after a while.

“The sizes are all different, so of course, you have to design them separately, right?”

“If it’s like the current model, that’s true, but if you create it with an algorithm, the shape will be a little different, but you can create a similar feel.”

“Ah, with Grasshopper that Oppa and Jayden have been studying these days?”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

The conversation itself was hard to understand, but they were using more professional architecture terms than he expected.

‘Hmm…’

So, Ethan moved closer to them and decided to speak to them directly.

He thought they were just admiring the pavilion, but when he got closer, he felt like they were criticizing it.

The young man was pointing to the inside of the pavilion and talking about different things.

He couldn’t understand the language, but he could tell they were using architecture terms and pointing to every corner.

‘Young people, not thinking deeply enough…’

The words Grasshopper and Parametric Design made Ethan feel uncomfortable.

Three-dimensional design was a new, high-tech design method that Ethan’s studio had just started to research.

He was annoyed that a young Asian man was talking about these things.

Ethan’s studio had used three-dimensional design techniques a little bit while creating this pavilion, but he was disappointed that the results weren’t very exciting.

Ethan was very curious about what this young Asian man was saying.

So, Ethan walked over to them and spoke.

“Excuse me…”

When Ethan spoke, the two people looked at him, surprised.

“Are you two architectural designers?”

He would leave if they didn’t speak English.

As if she knew what Ethan was thinking, the woman answered right away.

“I’m a student studying architectural design. Is there something wrong?”

Ethan’s wrinkled eyes narrowed slightly.

This old British man, who said his name was Ethan Clark, seemed unhappy about something.

Woojin could only understand about half of what he said, but he could tell from his face.

‘Was he upset that I was talking nonsense here?’

He had heard that there used to be a lot of racism in Europe.

So, when the old man first spoke to him, he thought he was just an older person who always thinks they are right and younger people are wrong.

The awkward silence stretched for a moment. But a moment later, after talking with Soyeon, Woojin realized Ethan wasn’t just being polite; he was genuinely interested.

This older man from England, whose name he didn’t know, was an architect.

“You said your name is Woojin?”

“Yes, it is.”

Ethan jumped right into the conversation.

“So, Woojin, tell me about your experience with 3D design and parametric design?”

Woojin felt a little awkward at Ethan’s question, but he explained everything he knew.

Ethan gestured towards the steel pavilion beside them. Its curved lines and complex structure were a perfect example for his explanation.

Woojin explained how he would have designed it differently.

Using algorithms, this structure could be made more precise and simpler.

But as Woojin’s explanation continued, the older man’s expression grew increasingly sour.

“Student, Rhino is not a cure-all,” Ethan said with a condescending tone.

“That’s true.”

“In all my years in architecture, I’ve never seen anyone design like that.”

“Well… perhaps not yet?”

At Woojin’s response, the older man began to explain with even more passion.

“This very structure before you is a work that uses the parametric design you speak of, and this is how the structural design was achieved. Realistically, the designs Woojin spoke of would face numerous difficulties during the construction process.”

Woojin, who had been quietly listening to these arguments, was a little surprised. At first, he thought Ethan was just an ordinary architect, but his points had considerable depth.

But that didn’t mean he agreed with him.

In Woojin’s mind, Ethan Cliffe was just an outdated architect, clinging to the past.

“Well, with all due respect, Ethan, that’s exactly how I am designing now, and I have projects being built using these methods.”

At Woojin’s words, Ethan looked completely shocked. He thought Woojin was bluffing.

‘An undergraduate? Working on parametric design projects? He must be bluffing.’

Ethan thought he was putting on a show to impress the Asian woman beside him, Soyeon.

Ethan sighed. He suddenly felt like he was wasting his time. Talking to this young, immature Asian man… it was a mistake. He regretted it.

In fact, he had spoken to him in the first place because of a suspicion and curiosity. He hadn’t originally intended to talk for so long.

However, as they talked, Woojin seemed to know more about digital architecture than he had thought, so he had gotten so heated and talked for so long. In the end, he was upset to think that it was all just the nonsense of a boastful young Asian man.

So Ethan shook his head and turned away with a disappointed expression.

“Right, Woojin, I understand. If you really can use Grasshopper like you claim, it would be a truly wonderful project with great form. In the end, even if you create a good algorithm, it’s just a tool, and it is the designer’s design sense that determines the form of the building… If you would like to see my project, you can check the EAC website after tomorrow.”

“Are you talking about the EAC that will be held at the AA School?”

“Yes, Ethan.”

When Woojin mentioned EAC, Ethan was utterly amazed.

“Are you saying you are attending EAC?”

“I am scheduled to briefly introduce my project.”

He knew that there were fewer than twenty Asian architects qualified to attend EAC. He was saying that he was not only attending but also presenting.

“Very well. Then I will see you tomorrow.”

At Ethan’s words, Woojin, this time, looked a little surprised and asked back.

“Are you attending EAC as well, Ethan?” He hadn’t thought that Ethan was a well-known architect who would be invited to EAC.

It wasn’t that he was ignoring him, but he hadn’t expected to encounter such a well-known architect in the middle of Hyde Park.

“Yes, I am.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m sure I will… if you’re actually there.”

Woojin gave a wry smile at Ethan’s loaded words. This English architect clearly thought he was lying.

“Then, goodbye,” Ethan said dismissively.

As Ethan Cliffe turned and walked away, Woojin scratched the back of his head.

“What’s that old man’s problem?” Soyeon asked, looking annoyed.

Woojin shrugged and replied, “I don’t know. He seems a bit nosy.”

“Is that old man coming to the conference tomorrow too?”

“Probably?”

“Ugh, I don’t really want to see him again…”

Woojin thought, ‘I need to prepare properly and impress them tomorrow.’

He had no intention of giving a half-hearted presentation in the first place, but Woojin began to burn with even greater enthusiasm. He figured that it was clear that there would be other architects at the conference who would look down on him, not just this Ethan Cliffe.

“We’ve only upset ourselves by arguing here. Let’s go somewhere else, Soyeon.”

“Yeah. You said you wanted to go to AA School, right? Shall we go there?”

“Sounds good.”

After spending the afternoon exploring London with Soyeon, Woojin returned to Jayden’s house, turned on his laptop, and began to make it even better.

It was a PPT that he had already reviewed and read dozens of times in Korea, but he began to revise it again.

After the sun had set, Jayden and Seokhyun returned, and a barbecue party began in Jayden’s front yard, but Woojin, holed up in his room, did not come outside.

The next morning, the conference day began.