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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Diagon Commercial Building in Seoul, Korea by Moon HoonFebruary 16th, 2023 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Moon Hoon Haebangchon means Freedom or Liberation town, located near Itawon and Yongsan, where many foreign nationals and US army personnel reside. It has recently been retrofitted with many hip Korean and western bars and restaurants, where young international crowd mingles. The site is at the hilltop where great views of the city is available. (only when you reach the rooftop).  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook
 Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook The first idea is to provide a rooftop view which is blocked by the building itself. A worm hole like, diagonal, floor piercing staircase starts from the roadside leading to the balcony on the 2nd floor providing a great view. This diagonal blackhole wormhole staircase is designed as an offering, an offering to the public, like the offering of a shade arch by louis Khan at kimbell. Another public offering is a circular seat disguised as steps at the entrance concave. I designed these offerings with the intention of inviting many passer byes to experience the view of the street, and the rooftop view. The existing building was built in the 1980s with bricks and concrete, designed as small residences. The basement residence conditions were harsh and even the above ground residences had just the basics, having none of the great views taken into account for the quality of the house. I think that was the case in the 80s Seoul, where most houses were built hastily without any considerations of quality of life. So Most of the existing walls are removed, but most concrete structures are kept. The commercial (rent space) nature of the development drove with curtain walls with minimum walls within the floors. The diagonal staircase roughly halves 1,2 3rd floors, but allows circulation around most of it (except 3rd floor). The stair becomes something like a giant animal rising through the floors, bringing something special to the homogeneous space. It could behave as a dual, one as a piece to attach creative furniture of partitions, the other as a bothering hindering mass in the middle.  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook Meaning of Haebangchon, freedom, or liberation town is inscribed into the design via penetrating staircase and subsequent balcony, of course the rooftop is the ultimate liberation…liberation from architecture. The other element is the fake wall that surrounds two sides of the design. One is much larger than the other, which is designed as narrow balcony, 3rd floor has a very useful and cosy balcony surrounded by the fake glass wall at a distance. I am envisioning an introduction of many adventurous vertical loving plants, which will use the fake glass walls to depend on their growth. If this happens overtime, I am already seeing a mini building, reminding me of Kandalama by Geoffrey Bawa.  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook  Image Courtesy © Kim Chang Mook
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Categories: Building, Commercial Building |
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