Brief asked for design which would “challenge conventional notions of a luxury department store”.
Heatherwick Studio has revealed its proposals for a shopping centre in Seoul designed to resemble two squashed hourglasses.
The Hanwha Galleria scheme would reimagine six sites at a major crossroad in Apgujeong-dong, an upmarket commercial district which is one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the South Korean capital.
The brief asked for a design which would bring more people into the area and “challenge conventional notions of a luxury department store”.
The proposals consist of two similar buildings clad in rippled glass which curves dramatically inwards at the “neck”, creating space for public terraces lined with greenery.
The design aims to use the facades and areas around the buildings as public spaces which would be “accessible to all”, according to Heatherwick Studio.
The firm’s partner and group leader Neil Hubbard said: “Traditionally, department stores are quite inward facing, they feel closed off to the surrounding streets.
> Also read: Heatherwick wins island redevelopment job in South Korea
“But here we have an important intersection in Apgujeong with two buildings, east and west, that felt like an opportunity to bring people together.
“Combined with Hanwha’s ambition to bring more activity to the buildings, we wanted to provide a strong overall silhouette that creates a gateway, but also gives Seoulites new garden-like spaces to meet, shop and enjoy their city.”
The two buildings would be topped with roof gardens and connected by an underground passage which leads into two light-filled atria opening onto a pair of landscape plazas at ground level.
The studio’s design for the site was selected as part of a competition organised by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The practice will now work with the local authorities and Haeahn Architecture to further develop the detailed design of the project.
The project follows the recent appointment of practice founder Thomas Heatherwick as general director of the fifth edition of the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, to be held in 2025.
The Korean edition of Heatherwick’s book, Humanise: A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World, will be published later this year.
No comments yet