Four Startling Architecture Projects in Korea

1. Yangjaegogae Eco Bridge

Image: designboom.com

The first prize winners of the Yangjaegogae eco bridge design competition in korea, KILD architects create a proposal based on a simple and pure concept: to recreate the link that once existed using a spatial structure that would be atmospherically reminiscent to a pictorial passage through the southern slopes of the two discontinued mountain peaks of mount umyeon and maljukgeori parks.

The Yangjaegogae eco bridge design competition aims to create a green passageway across the gyeongbu expressway in order to connect the mountainous areas on either side of the existing highway — this allows citizens and animals to move across the highway through the green area on the top of the structure. The landscape of KILD‘s bridge is referential to the natural, simplistic and unforced nature of korean gardens. The architectural language of the structure mirrors the rhythmic nature of korean garden pavilions traditionally used to enjoy the surrounding green sceneries.

The two discontinued southern slopes are less windy and mostly sunlit, therefore following a naturally dualistic spatial experience of walking on the side of the mountain. The midpoint of the bridge stays open toward the spectacular panoramic view of seoul on the northern slope. Animal transit is made easy as a result of the prioritization of safe and simple access zones, uninterrupted by humans. The two intended environments suggest a structural concept: an arched bridge (central core) forming a straight human path and an integration of a suspended bridge structure on its side, that is forming a gently undulating slope between the two mountain peaks for the animals.

2. MVRDV’s Elevated Skygarden

Image: designboom.com

Weaving its way through the urban landscape of seoul, south korea, a new skygarden realized by MVRDV has been built on a former inner city highway. Named ‘seoullo’, the public 983-meter-long park has been planted with 50 families of greenery, including trees, shrubs and flowers displayed in 645 tree pots, collecting around 228 species and sub-species.

New bridges and stairs connect the viaduct with hotels, shops and gardens at the heart of the city. from the start, the architecture firm engaged with this need to change the forgotten and existing infrastructure into a green symbol that will become a catalyst for a greener quarter for seoul. In turn, the pedestrianized viaduct will transform the daily life of thousands of people who access this area every day. In total, the park will include 24,000 plants (trees, shrubs and flowers) that are newly planted — many of which will grow to their final heights in the next decade.

3. Hankook Technodome

Image: digitalartsonline.co.uk

The hankook technodome has opened, a new research and development center for the tire firm in daejeon, south korea. Designed by foster + partners, the 96,328 square meter facility aims to attract the industry’s top talent, with light filled workplaces, advanced laboratories, and integrated social spaces intended to nurture a culture of openness and innovation.

In its design of the workplace, foster + partners placed an emphasis on communication for hankook’s staff. Central meeting pods allow for spontaneous team meetings, while tire testing and research laboratories remain on display to invited visitors and staff. The design team sought to create ‘a sleek, contemporary and mysterious building with a floating silver roof’. The architects then established the scheme’s new program requirements — which ranged from isolation pits to double-height spaces capable of accommodating specialist equipment.

The building’s plan promotes visual connections among different areas, with a highly flexible arrangement that enables future changes in use. The levels step up from four to six storeys, in response to the height restriction imposed by an adjacent government site. Research spaces extend along a top-lit central spine that runs from a restaurant and entrance in the south, to the staff accommodation to the north. Suspended meeting pods are elevated within the full-height space, which also functions as a lightwell.

The lobby functions as an exhibition space for the latest product range, with views provided into the testing areas and the external parkland. meanwhile, carefully programmed circulation routes create a natural divide between public areas and more sensitive product development zones. from an environmental standpoint, waste heat is used to heat the adjacent dormitory building, while a lake at the site’s southern entrance harvests rainwater for use in cooling.

4. U Retreat

Image: designboom.com

Bordered by the sori-san mountain range in korea, the U retreat by heesoo kwak from IDMM architects sits at the core of the sari-gol valley in hongcheon-gun daegok-ri. Looking down on the site from as little a distance of 40 meters, a sharp vertical cliff stretches at an altitude of 100 meters. The scale of this geological formation, pinned down by enormous stones, and the vitality of the flourishing vegetation within it totally overwhelm the surroundings.

Hongcheon-gun (洪川) Daegok-ri(垈谷), which literally means ‘wide lake’ and ‘high mound’, is a name that alludes to the long persisting conditions of the land. The wind that passes through the valley forms a sense of movement which shakes the entirety of the cliff. The small gestures of the trees, each of which shake according to their weight, come together to form a flowing cliff. Hence, IDMM architects have created jeongia — a space which is unified with nature by embodying the cliff’s movements and dynamics. By doing so, the users are liberated from the confines of a typical household.

The program of the jeongja is rest, play, and retreat in nature; like the image of the cliff and assembly of trees, the residence is composed of different ‘organisms’ that have been transposed to architecture. In other words, the design of each unit borrows the motions generated by wind, water, vegetations etc. Furthermore, reflecting the minimal space that each tree occupies, the unit is ultimately restrained in its contact with the ground to liberate the architecture from the existing irregular slope.

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