The Belgian Consulate-General in Seoul (1903-1907): Materiality, Contested Authorship and Hidden Networks of Actors

This paper questions the authorship of the Belgian Consulate-General in Seoul (1903-1907), which was claimed as a solo project by the Belgian architect Alphonse Groothaert (1860-1922). The drawings and accompanying text published by Groothaert in the Brussels-based architectural magazine "Vers l'art" (1911) communicate the earlier project proposal he submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not the final as-built project. As such, he negates the contributions of Seoul-based Canadian architect H. B. Gordon and other local actors involved in adapting Groothaert's design to the specificity of the local climate and building traditions. This paper aims to deconstruct this proposed reading of the buildings' authorship by analysing specifically the materiality of the building, which allows the uncovering of various networks of hidden actors that impacted the design and construction process.