Be-Fore: A.CO.LAB Transforms Sihwa Sewage Plant into Cultural Hub

A.CO.LAB Architects has completed Be-Fore, a renovation of an abandoned sewage treatment plant in the Sihwa Industrial Complex, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, into a public cultural space. Rather than imposing a predetermined program, the architects preserved the site's industrial character by adding minimal interventions—timber frames, steel plates, aluminum, and acrylic panels—to create temporary elements like a circular staircase, atrium columns, and canopies. Originally planned as a water-themed park by Siheung-si, the project scaled back from ten condensing tanks to five, focusing on revealing the original water purification infrastructure. Lead architects Isak Chung and Jinpyo Hong emphasized lightness and removability, allowing the rough surfaces and large-scale infrastructure to remain visible. The result is an open sequence where visitors experience the former facility's spatial qualities alongside contemporary additions, fostering shared experience within an existing industrial landscape.