VOL.95/2026.06

Korean Authors

 

Author Baek Heesung:
The Architect Who Infuses Spaces with Memory and Designs for Humanity

 

 

2026.06

 

 

 

Heesung Baek is both an architect and a writer. He has authored works that deeply explore the relationship between architecture and humanity, including Fantastic Thoughts, The Invisible House, Where the Light Leads, and The One Who Writes. As an acclaimed author whose books are currently preparing for international publication, how did he first begin his journey into writing? Above all, Baek’s architectural work shares a profound similarity with his writing. He creates architectural spaces centered around the theme of “memory” and weaves narratives into them. We sat down to listen directly to the insights of this architect, who infuses physical spaces with the warmth of human life.

 

 

 

Q. Was there a specific turning point or occasion that inspired you to start writing?

 

For a long time, working as an architect, I found myself asking questions that diverged from conventional design. To find the answer to “How does a space record human emotion?” I began to use invisible “memories” as the blueprints for my designs.

 

One day, a client approached me wishing to design a space for his father, who had run a restaurant his entire life. He wanted a space that resembled his father, so I met with the older gentleman to ask about his life. However, instead of dwelling on his decades of hardship, he spoke only of his son. There was one specific memory he shared that deeply moved my heart:

 

“On the day my son left to study abroad, the crimson sunset was melting into the alleyway. As he walked away, his back was enveloped in that brilliant light. The moment his long shadow stretched out and touched the tips of my toes, I realized it. My son was my brilliant light...”

 

His “memory” was overflowing with warmth for his son. I decided to visualize this exact memory into a tangible space.

 

First, I crafted a small, spoon-shaped sculpture to symbolize the father’s lifelong devotion to his restaurant. Across from it, I placed “the son’s chair.” The most crucial element was the lighting. The light installed directly above the sculpture was engineered not to illuminate the sculpture itself, but to cast a brilliant glow upon the son sitting across from it.

 

On the day the space was completed, the father asked why the light was shining on his son instead of himself or his sculpture. I explained to him that the name of this space was “Father’s Brilliant Light.” The son was deeply moved by his father’s true heart that regarded him as light, and the father was profoundly touched by his son’s thoughtfulness in recognizing that love.

 

In this way, the process of creating a space centered around a person’s memory is akin to writing a novel. The way I practice architecture, the process of manifesting “memories” imbued with human emotion, already closely resembled the grammar of a novel. That was the true reason I ultimately picked up the pen.

 

 

 

 

Q. Your book is being introduced internationally. How do you feel about this upcoming global publication?

 

I recently received the wonderful news that my novel, Where the Light Leads, will be translated and published through Orion Books, one of the largest publishing houses in the United Kingdom. Not too long ago, I also happened to come across an article on an international online media outlet introducing me as a writer, and moments like that always bring back a flood of deep emotions.

 

This book is rooted in the detailed records of historic old houses in Paris that I personally researched during my eight-year stay in France. As an architect collecting the strange and unfamiliar “memories” nestled within those spaces, I felt a powerful desire to return these stories back to Paris, the very place where they all began.

 

These archives were living proof of the vibrant lives of French architects and Parisian citizens, something that should not be kept to myself. However, to protect the private personal information and addresses of the individuals who had closely communicated and interviewed with me, I chose the genre of fiction. By dressing factual records in the garments of a narrative, I wanted to protect their privacy while delivering the core essence of those spaces on a much deeper level.

 

Currently, the Chinese edition, 光指引的地方, has already been published, allowing me to receive warm, real-time feedback from local readers, and the US edition is scheduled for publication next year. To be honest, this entire process still feels like an unbelievable miracle to me. I am incredibly joyful and happy that the sentences I wrote are being translated into the languages of different cultures, connecting with readers there, and allowing us to converse about the universal value of “memory” that we all share.

 

I sincerely hope that Where the Light Leads serves as an opportunity for readers around the world to discover the warm light hidden within their own hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

Q. Are there any similarities between writing and architecture? What are your guiding principles when writing a book versus designing a building?

 

Writing and designing a building are profoundly similar in that they both fundamentally involve the act of “building” something. When I first began to write, I was repeatedly amazed by how much the process mirrored architectural design.

 

The defining keyword that runs through both my writing and my architecture is, without question, “Memory.” I design spaces and stack sentences based on the themes of human memory, urban memory, and the memories embedded within objects. Unless something completely unexpected changes my path, I will continue to adhere to this method of “restoring memory” in the future.

 

The similarities I see between writing and architecture can be summarized into five key areas.

 

First is the establishment of a “Concept.” Just as a novel begins with a specific purpose and thematic focus, determining the core concept and function is the most critical first step in architecture.

 

Second is “Sequence” and connectivity. In a novel, you meticulously ponder the connection between sentences, the twists, and the foreshadowing. Similarly, in architecture, you constantly question how different spaces meet and connect with one another.

 

Third is a “Fundamental Understanding of Humanity.” Deep reflection on human nature is essential for a novel, and architecture similarly requires an understanding of how people experience and perceive a space before a proper design can ever come to life.

 

Fourth is the “Open Ending.” Once I establish the characters in a novel, I prefer to leave them to their own devices. The characters then begin to drive the events themselves, and I simply record their journeys from the perspective of an observer. Architectural spaces function the same way. Even when an architect designs with a specific intent, the beauty of an open ending exists in both fields, where actual users occupy the space in completely different ways or find themselves moved by unexpected details.

 

Fifth and final is the process of “Continuous Conceptualization.” When designing architecture, the ideas in my head never stop. I often find solutions for a space while walking down the street or even in my dreams. Writing is exactly the same. Once the characters are set, I constantly simulate different situations in my mind, changing the scenarios over and over. This joy of immersion is something that cannot be stopped, even if I tried.

 

 

 

 

Q. You have written across various literary genres, including essays and novels. What are your future goals and vision?

 

I have recently completed the final manuscript for a new novel that traces the memories of objects. Provisionally titled VÊTEMENT (the French word for “clothing”), this work uncovers the mysterious memories layered within old garments. Alongside this, I am in the final stages of writing another novel that portrays the shared memories and philosophical reflections on architecture between a master and a disciple.

 

Moving forward, I will continue to pursue diverse forms of writing under the overarching theme of “Memory.” Naturally, my journey as an architect will not stop either. People occasionally ask me if it is difficult to balance both writing and architecture. However, I have never lived my life with titles like writer or architect as my ultimate goal.

 

If I were asked to describe myself after stripping away all external labels, I would like to answer this way: “Someone who ponders the stray, casual thoughts of daily life for a long time, ferments them, and transforms them into tangible creations.” For me, professions such as writer, architect, and artist are merely different tools used to shape everyday thoughts into results. Implementing a story by choosing the most appropriate tool for the circumstance is my way of life.

 

I hope to present even more works to the world in the future. In the realm of literature, I desire to look beyond essays and novels to experiment with as many genre variations as possible. In architecture, I am already enjoying adventures without any limitations on genre. Having executed a wide range of projects from churches, libraries, and art museums to residences, factories, pavilions, and hotels, I hold a vision to expand my own “map of memory” by taking on even more unfamiliar and new genres.

 

 

 

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Interview. Heesung BAEK (Novelist, Writer, Architect, Heritage Researcher, Painter)

Heesung Baek is an architect and novelist who spent eight years in France studying architecture and collecting memories hidden within spaces. He is also a bestselling author whose book Where the Light Leads reached the number one spot on Kyobo Book Centre’s comprehensive bestseller list. He practices “the architecture of memory,” a philosophy that infuses physical structures with human narratives and emotional traces, and has recently been focusing on restoring the warm memories embedded within cities.

He describes himself as “someone who never discards the stray, casual thoughts of daily life, but instead ponders them, ferments them, and ultimately transforms them into tangible creations. More specifically, a creator who writes and designs architecture centered around the theme of ‘memory,’ a lifelong artist who will continue to explore human memory, urban memory, and the memory of objects through both the written word and architectural design.”