Building Fact
- Site Area : 270sm
- Gross Floor Area : 960sm
- Building Height : 15m
- Location: Daegu, South Korea
- Status : Completed
TheeAe’s First Project Story
Mission International Church (MI Church) is a non-denominational Christian church established in 1979 with a long-standing commitment to serving young people, particularly university students. Over the years, its ministry expanded beyond worship to include education, community outreach, missionary work, and student support, creating the need for a permanent home capable of accommodating a diverse range of activities.
For decades, the church operated from rented premises, frequently relocating due to rising rents and expiring leases. These continual disruptions affected the stability of its educational programmes and campus ministry, making it increasingly difficult to support students, young professionals, international visitors, and those returning from military service or overseas exchange programmes. A permanent building was essential—not simply as a place of worship, but as a foundation for a growing community.
This project also carried personal significance. In 2001, MI Church was the subject of my university graduation thesis, developed as a conceptual design project. More than a decade later, I was invited by the church’s pastor—who had also been one of my teachers—to transform that academic vision into a real building. It became a rare opportunity to revisit an idea that had remained with me since the beginning of my architectural career.
Located in a highly visible and accessible urban setting, the site offered excellent connectivity by public transportation while strengthening the church’s presence within the surrounding community. The design sought to create a welcoming civic landmark that balanced openness, practicality, and long-term adaptability.
The project was guided by two fundamental principles: flexibility and efficiency. Rather than pursuing expressive architectural gestures, the focus was on creating spaces that could support a wide variety of programmes throughout the week while remaining simple to operate and economical to build. Every floor was carefully planned to maximise functionality, allowing the building to serve worship, education, fellowship, administration, and accommodation within a compact footprint.
The building area was strategically optimised to comply with local regulations while avoiding unnecessary construction and operational costs. Through careful planning and efficient spatial organisation, the final design achieved a gross floor area of 970 m², demonstrating how thoughtful design can deliver significant value within practical constraints.
Completed in 2012, the building is organised vertically to support multiple functions. The ground floor provides generous parking, while the first and second floors accommodate a duplex café, missionary offices, support facilities, and residential accommodation. The third floor contains classrooms for education and community programmes, and the fourth floor houses a flexible 300-seat assembly hall capable of hosting worship services, lectures, conferences, and other community events.
More than a church building, MI Church was conceived as a place of learning, gathering, and belonging. It demonstrates that architecture is most successful when it responds to the people it serves—creating spaces that are adaptable, purposeful, and capable of supporting everyday life for many years to come.
Design Process
Section
Elevation & LED
Façade panel design
Photo from Google map
