The Pyongyang University of Architecture is a renowned university which trains experts in architecture. Especially, it is counted as one of those universities with the greatest number of applicants, for it has raised competent designers and architects. When I visited it, Hong Song Ryong, president of the university, said, “Architecture is a comprehensive art. Architectural designs comprehensively reflect the aspects of the social development and all intellectual faculty and creative thinking and ability of modern times. To put it on the highest possible level in a profound manner, what sort of ability should we have? This is what we teachers and students are keenly feeling witnessing the ever changing reality of our country.”
A few years ago the teachers of the university had a serious discussion to find out a rational method to bring up more wellversed architects. As the country’s architectural art was rapidly developing in the new century, able architects were badly needed all across the country. Now the administrators of the university made efforts to find out weak points in education at that time and take measures to get it over.
At this juncture, in November 2013, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un inspected the university. Making the rounds of several places he saw the students’ drawing practice and architectural designing, and said that they should study hard sav ing time and keeping in their mind that the future of a civilized nation is first planned on their designing board. The present time is calling for gifted designers and architects, he noted and set forth specific tasks and methods to bring about a radical turn in the work of training scientific and technical personnel. Then he stated he would be the honorary president of the university.
The Supreme Leader’s inspection became a historic event that awakened the teachers and students of the university to their mission again. The teachers applied the 5-D designing program to all designing subjects and opened several new subjects while setting up some new courses. Their primary effort went to the work of combining theory and practice and developing a sustainable creative thinking faculty in the students. They organized visits to monumental edifices on a regular basis, and set every Friday as the day of creation, conducting it in real earnest. In the course of this, they created practical and superior teaching methods.
By virtue of the sincere efforts of the teachers the students acquired the sense of creative inspiration and the knowledge of designing much earlier and courageously participated in architectural designing projects of national significance. They introduced latest science and technology into their designs so that the space of relevant projects could be used in a 3-D way and in good harmony with topographical and geographical features in consideration of the mission, nature and functional features of the projects. And they also ensured the principle of prioritizing convenience and aesthetic beauty in their designs.
They designed over a thousand and scores of major projects found across the country, including the fountain park in the April 25 House of Culture, the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery, the Jangchon Vegetable Cooperative Farm in Sadong District, Pyongyang. In particular, they rendered service to the construction of Ryomyong Street featuring an energy-saving and green street. As the street pioneered a new phase in view of practical use, formation and artistic sense of architecture, it is called a model and standard of modern architecture. These days the university has produced Merited Scientists, professors and doctors as well as classes winning the certificate of the Student’s Scientific Research Award, and won special prizes and top places at national architectural festivals and sci-tech festivals.
Ri Chol Guk, a student of the university, says, “The future of a civilized socialist nation depends on us. With the consciousness that we should make a design of a civilized socialist nation we will study hard to become the people’s architects who will be able to make designs national in style and socialist in content.”
Article by: Rim Ok
