General Architecture Collaborative as a collective emerged from our early engagements with the village of Masoro in Rwanda, rooted in the broader inquiry of how design practices can constructively shape the world. Over time, our projects have evolved in scale and complexity, yet consistently center on collaborative methodologies grounded in community engagement, applied research, and education. Our exhibition at the Seoul Biennale, Playing Well With Others, reflects a design philosophy that treats the entire architectural process—from conceptualization to construction to maintenance—as an opportunity for sustained collaboration and community building. This approach fosters new forms of spatial agency not only for designers but for all those involved in shaping the built environment.

Playing Well With Others presents three interconnected modes of inquiry: Relationships, Products, and Processes. Relationships are visualized through a Project Map, which uses four case studies to trace the dynamic networks among individuals, institutions, organizations, governments, and cultural practices. Products capture the material outcomes of these relationships through detailed architectural drawings and scaled representations. Processes is a filmic series highlighting the people and practices behind each project, foregrounding collaborative construction, shared authorship, and participatory spatial production.

Through these three lenses, the exhibition engages the biennale's theme of “collective cities” by framing collectivity as a deliberate and sustained practice of working with others. It understands the city not solely as a physical agglomeration, but as a constellation of interdependent communities shaped by common contexts, shared knowledge, and mutual aspirations.