© Yoon Joon-hwan

• Architects: ADDarchi Architects Group
• Location: 468-502, Cheonghak-dong, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Design Team: Yoo Sang-hun, Kang Seo-hyun, Kwon Jin-ju, Choe Hee-jeong
• Area: 190.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Yoon Joon-hwan

• Structural Engineering: SeMyeong Structural Engineering, JoEun Engineering, 
Dream Engineering Group
• Construction Team: TaeRim Construction
• Structure: RC
• Site Area: 190m²
• Building Area: 37.62m²
• Gross Floor Area: 58.35m²

© Yoon Joon-hwan

Located aside atop the Bongnaesan Hill, Yeongdo, Busan, this village was named the ‘Haedoji Village’ (Sunrise Village) on which the refugees gathering here after the Korean War imposed the hopeful meaning: ‘Let’s also be well-off.’ This is one of the backward residential areas on a typical hillside roadway proper to Busan, which has such inadequate conditions as the difficult access to the upland and the increase of vacant or deserted housing.

© Yoon Joon-hwan

However, so strong was the will of residents to construct the village community and promote the resident-led urban regeneration that the budget was raised to the public invitation of their ideas as well as that the constructions of the Bongnaesan Dulle-gil Trail course were promoted amongst which the ‘Bongnaesan Dulle-gil Viewing Lounge’ was placed thanks to its advantageous location optimal for viewing the Busan North Port.

Section

© Yoon Joon-hwan

Section

The Huimang (Hope) Village formed on top of the Mt. Bongnae, Yeongdo, is situated on a north-faced slope and made up of spontaneous alleyways so as to enable automobile access only from the northern low entrance. The site is at the intersection of the central alleyway in the village with its uppermost Bongnaesan Dulle-gil Trail: here, one can see all the panorama of Busan, ranging from Daecheong-dong and the Hillside Road in Choryang to the region around the North Port, the North Port Bridge, and the Oryukdo Island.

© Yoon Joon-hwan

Usually, the northern low roadway through which local residents approach the village serves as the main entrance, but this site where the central village alleyway intersects with the Dulle-gil Trail, I thought, has an advantage of providing another new entrance to the village that enables contact with outsiders who use the Trail.

Section

© Yoon Joon-hwan

Section

Located at the village entrance are the traditional totem poles (Jangseung) and Dangsan Trees which have been used from old days as the leisurely place central to the village, signifying its guardian and marking the border. Likewise, we represented the lush image of leisure that tree branches create by intermingling in harmony. The skip-floors based on the difference of elevation (about 2m) between the site and the Trail accommodate various programs and enable the multi-level perspectives from which one can take a rest viewing excellent landscape, in order to make a new iconic building of the village that has the image of a ‘sight tree.‘

© Yoon Joon-hwan

In order not to give a sense of visual pressure to those who climb from the central village alleyway, the building was placed aback on the site so as to be recognized with the front yard. The lower part was made into a piloti so as to enable natural use of the front yard. Classified as a natural green zone by the building code, the site must fulfill the functional needs within the building area sized 37 sq. m. For this matter, we designed toilet at the remaining space under the entrance staircase running from the Trail, while on the remaining 2nd floor space other than the staircase, designing three-dimensional spaces like multi-level hideouts running from the front open space to the back kitchen and to the circular staircase.

© Yoon Joon-hwan

The interior floor-to-ceiling windows, the horizontal and vertical windows, and the three-dimensional frames wrapping up the outdoor stairs and the rooftop observatory are the most important architectural devices in this project. These devices serve as the fields of social exchange that naturally circulate movements into the building at the interface between the village alleyway and the Trail. The scene of the stairway in which movements smoothly become multi-level circulations and reach the rooftop observatory was to signify the unique local characteristic of this area by mimicking the landscape of the Hillside Road created in negotiations between topography and landscape.

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Exterior Rendered Perspective. Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen

Henning Larsen has been selected to design a pavilion for Denmark for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Opening on Ipanema Beach from August 4-21, 2016, the pavilion – named “The Heart of Denmark” – will feature a tent structure that utilizes building techniques appropriated from sailboat construction. Inspired by Denmark’s maritime history, Danish architecture, the landscape of Rio de Janeiro and the buildings of Oscar Niemeyer, the pavilion will marry aesthetic iconography of both Denmark and Brazil.

Exterior Rendered Night Time Perspective. Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen

Located in a high-traffic area for both tourists and locals, the pavilion will offer views to the Atlantic Ocean and of the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain. The 300-square-meter pavilion will be composed of four sections of metal profiles covered with white canvas and connected by a cross of clear acrylic.

Pavilion Structure Isometric View. Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen

The open space will feature a bar, a press room, an exhibition on sustainable cities and an amphitheater from which visitors can enjoy the views or watch the Olympics on a big screen. LED lighting by Martin Professional will provide flexible lighting at night, including the colors of the Danish or Brazilian Flag, the Olympics, or specific events.

Aerial Rendered Night Time Perspective. Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen

John Mast, a producer of sailboat masts, designed the primary aluminum construction, and OneSails, manufacturers of sail cloth, provided the pavilion’s cover.

Photos of Pavilion Parts Under Construction by John Mast. Image Courtesy of Henning Larsen

The pavilion will be open for the 2016 Summer Olympics from August 4-21 between 11am and 10pm.

• Architects: Henning Larsen Architects
• Location: R. Ipanema – Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil
• Partner Responsible: Søren Øllgaard
• Design Team: Emil Skibsted Tranæs, Jakob Birk Nielsen, Jens Larsen, Mads Vinding Johnsen, Thomas Persson Vestersøe and Vanda Oliveira
• Visuals: Aleksander Nowak and Omar Dabaan
• Engineers: Alectia
• Construction: John Mast
• Cover: OneSails
• Lighting: Martin
• Area: 300.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of Henning Larsen

News via Henning Larsen Architects

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© Francisca Steverlynck

• Architects: Steverlynck+Iglesias Molli Arquitectos
• Location: Carmelo, Uruguay
• Area: 460.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2013
• Photographs: Francisca Steverlynck

• Construction Firm: Subias&Pizarro
• Land Area: 10.000 m2

© Francisca Steverlynck

The house is located in Carmelo Golf & Polo Country Club, 8km away from Carmelo, a 20.000 people town in the Department of Colonia, Uruguay.

© Francisca Steverlynck

With a broken topography framed by lakes and an 18 hole golf course, the land is oriented towards the northeast where the best views of the Lakes, the golf course and the natural fields lie beneath. 

The land consists of an area of ​​10,000 m2. This particular condition allowed us to design the whole house on one level, spreading along the ground with all the rooms well oriented and with the best views.

© Francisca Steverlynck

The program needs, included the main house with reception and three bedrooms and a “pool house” that can be used in turn as guest house.

© Francisca Steverlynck

The main project idea was developed as a “strip” where the main house is solved overlooking the golf course and lake and the Pool House is located perpendicular to the main house forming an “L” that contain the exterior decks and pool.

Plan

The main house was resolved through two aligned volumes of different heights. The highest and permeable volume (glass and iron columns) contains the living room, dining room and kitchen with service areas, and embraces a lower and more “blind” volume (walls of concrete and wood) where the bedrooms and the most intimate areas are located.

© Francisca Steverlynck

These two volumes are sewn by a concrete lace to form a harmonious whole with long proportions that integrate the project with the environment.

© Francisca Steverlynck

The transparency of the main volume with large sliding window/ doors leave the metal structure bare, reinforcing the concept of integration with the landscape. 

Section

A Concrete slab that overhangs 4mts is extended outwards generating a gallery.  A low-rise stone wall gives privacy (street façade) and resolves an entrance courtyard while penetrating into the interior of the glazed volume generating the chimney and dividing the living space with the dining room.

© Francisca Steverlynck

The south side of the main volume was resolved with a massive stone wall to accommodate the household services. Outside, a wooden cars’ pergola softens up the blind stone wall’s hardness.

The pool house was resolved with a permeable central area with living and dining rooms open towards the environment and the pool. The two ends of this volume with the sleeping area on one side and mechanical room on the other end, are made of wood and concrete walls giving privacy to these spaces.

© Francisca Steverlynck

Sliding window doors open all the way, they slide inside the “blind” wooden walls, extending the pool’s solarium as a “sun’s protected” area.

The materials’ choice for the house, both outside and inside, was thought in order to show them in its natural state; concrete walls and ceilings, smooth cement floors and stone walls blend harmoniously with wood on walls and decks and steel columns.

© Francisca Steverlynck

Stone benches generate stepped terraces towards the lake and separate the wild land with the immediacy of the house.

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Courtesy of NBBJ

Construction has begun on the Quadram Institute, a new innovation hub for the advancement of food and heath research in Norfolk, in the United Kingdom. Designed by the London office of NBBJ, the 13,900 square meter center will bring scientists, clinical researchers, and a healthcare clinic together under one roof.

Courtesy of NBBJ

Research teams focusing on the gut microbiome, healthy aging, food innovation, and food safety from the Institute of Food Research, the University of East Anglia, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital’s gastrointestinal endoscopy facility will occupy the space. Overall, the Quadram Institute will accommodate around 300 research scientists, as well as clinicians and approximately 40,000 outpatients per year.

Courtesy of NBBJ

NBBJ’s four-story design focuses on being flexible and adaptable to future change. Lab and office spaces will be open-plan in an effort to “promote a more social work style” and “encourage collaborative working and impromptu interaction.”

Courtesy of NBBJ

The design is comprised of two distinct buildings connected by a large atrium and roof light. “Office accommodation is housed in a glass, daylight-filled space with terracotta sunshades facing south,” states a press release. “Laboratory accommodation to the north is located in a brick-clad structure with windows to promote energy efficiency and to keep the labs at an optimum temperature. Long-format, handmade bricks reflect the natural qualities associated with local stonewall construction.”

Courtesy of NBBJ

A glass entrance space and atrium connects the laboratory and office blocks, and additionally houses shared and public facilities, including a lecture theater and staff restaurant.

Courtesy of NBBJ

Outside, the Institute will be linked to a new pedestrian boulevard, which will become a main cross-campus link on the research park.

The project is expected to be completed in February 2018.

• Architects: NBBJ
• Location: Norfolk, England
• Area: 13900.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2018
• Photographs: Courtesy of NBBJ

News via NBBJ.

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Alvar Aalto was born in Alajärvi in central Finland and raised in Jyväskylä. Following the completion of his architectural studies at the Helsinki University of Technology he founded his own practice in 1923, based in Jyväskylä, and naming it Alvar Aalto, Architect and Monumental Artist. Although many of his early projects are characteristic examples of ‘Nordic Classicism‘ the output of his practice would, following his marriage to fellow Architect Aino Marsio-Aalto (née Marsio), take on a Modernist aesthetic. From civic buildings to culture houses, university centers to churches, and one-off villas to student dormitories, the ten projects compiled here—spanning 1935 to 1978—celebrate the breadth of Aalto’s œuvre.

1. Jyväskylä University Building (1951)

Jyväskylä University Building. Image © Nico Saieh

2. House of Culture (1955)

House of Culture. Image © James Taylor-Foster

3. Säynätsalo Town Hall (1949)

Säynätsalo Town Hall. Image © Fernanda Castro

4. Stephanuskirche (1968)

Stephanuskirche. Image © Samuel Ludwig

5. Viipuri Library (1935)

Viipuri Library. Image © Denis Esakov

The library was awarded the 2014 Modernism Prize for its recent renovation.

6. Heilig Geist Kirche (1962)

Heilig Geist Kirche. Image © Samuel Ludwig

7. Muuratsalo Experimental House (1953)

Muuratsalo Experimental House. Image © Nico Saieh

8. Maison Louis Carré (1959)

Maison Louis Carré. Image © Samuel Ludwig

9. Riola Parish Church (1978)

Riola Parish Church. Image © Franco Di Capua

10. MIT Baker House Dormitory (1948)

MIT Baker House Dormitory. Image via Wikimedia (dDxc)

Finally: The Aalto Studio (1955)

“Alvar Aalto designed the building at Tiilimäki 20 in Munkkiniemi, Finland, as his own office in 1955. The building is only a short walk from Aalto’s own house, where the office had previously been located. He ran the office until his death in 1976. After that, the office continued under the leadership of Elissa Aalto until 1994. The building came into the custodianship of the Alvar Aalto Foundation in 1984 and today houses the Alvar Aalto Foundation, the Alvar Aalto Academy and the Alvar Aalto Museum Architectural Heritage.” (via Aalto Foundation)

You can investigate the studio rooms on Google StreetView:

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You might also be interested in:

How a Soviet Governmental Residence, the K-2 Dacha, Became a “Manifestation of the Finnish Dream”
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© Nelson Kon

• Architects: Urdi Arquitetura
• Location: São Paulo, São Paulo – State of São Paulo, Brazil
• Architect In Charge: Alberto Barbour, Alexandre Cavalheiro Liba
• Design Team: Larissa Castellani Selingardi, Flávia Neves Saccardi, Fernando Martins, Karen Miyabe Ueda; Thiago Kubo, César Rodrigues dos Santos; Marilia Toledo, Marina Simões Frade
• Area: 9062.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Nelson Kon

• Interns : Elizabeth Eira Hwang, Daiane Hea Mi Lee, Letícia Lombard-Platet, Carolina Miranda Andrade
• Acoustics: Sresnewsky – Acústica e Tecnologia
• Foundations: MGA
• Metal Structure: Companhia de Projetos
• Lighting: Franco Associados
• Waterproofing: PROASSP
• Instalations: Ramoska & Castellani
• Frames: Paulo Duarte Consultores
• Air Conditioning: LS Sistemas
• Firefighters Approval: Rocca Forte
• Set Design: URDI Arquitetura
• Constructor : Zaori Engenharia e Construções
• Client: Colégio São Luís
• Management Ipe: Implantação Planejamento e Engenharia Ltda
• Audio/ Video : Loudness

© Nelson Kon

From the architect. The São Luís Sports & Arts Gymnasium is part of an architectural planning carried out and implemented over 12 years in various school sectors, in order to better adapt it to their educational principles.

© Nelson Kon

The reorganization of the sports sector objectively demanded the increase in the supply of sports facilities and activities – in a project briefing that included adding no areas to the existing complex and without interrupting the daily activities of the school.

© Nelson Kon

Occupying the same area of the previous building, completely demolished for this project, the gym has expanded from one to four its sports courts – two as grass soccer fields in the top slab and two others revealed when retractable bleachers slides into a stack.

© Nelson Kon

The option of retractable bleachers on one side only allows direct visual exchange with the city through the facades – specially with the huge trees that surround the corner where the new Gymnasium is built.

© Nelson Kon

1st Floor Plan

© Nelson Kon

Climate control is one of the main features of the new building. The comfortable temperature and air exchange are accomplished by the design features of the facades. Strategically positioned permanent openings brings fresh air to the courts, while special glass panels control the incoming solar radiation.

© Nelson Kon

The possibility of opening all the sliding doors towards the north facade of the building manage to control the intensity of the winds over the seasons. The angled design of the brise-soleil enhance the constant ventilation without exposing the students on rainy days, besides reducing the incidence of solar radiation inside the building.

© Nelson Kon

Natural sun light is abundant into the gymnasium, always filtered by different treatments of the glass panels in each facade; all the rain water is collected in a reservoir of 60,000 liters and reused in the building maintenance. 

Section B

The whole building received acoustic treatment to accommodate not only sporting events, but also institutional and cultural events regularly programmed in the school. Backed by a complete theater infrastructure, the space has its sound reverberation and acoustic insulation precisely set for any intended use; the building presents high standards of comfort and excellence, without disturbing the neighborhood.

© Nelson Kon

The entire environment is designed to encourage social interaction – turning courts, bleachers and all the connection spaces into living rooms, constantly integrated to the visual presence of city.

© Nelson Kon

Crowning a decade of architectural renovation, the São Luís Gymnasium represents a new phase in the long history of the institution. A school traditionally connected with the community around it, now offers a welcoming shelter to sports and cultural events not only his students but also the entire city.

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Bangkok Retreat Artists Exterior Rendered View. Image Courtesy of Bee Breeders

Prolific organizers of architecture competitions, Bee Breeders has revealed the winners of their latest challenge: repurposing a brutalist department store in Bangkok into an artists’ retreat. Competitors were expected to not only renovate the building, but also to engage the public in the surrounding city with the arts, as well as to “reflect on both the history and future” of the site. The program was loosely defined and open to interpretation, with entries evaluated primarily on the strength and clarity of their concept, originality, presentation quality, relevance to context and its possible presence as a strong community for artists in Bangkok. See all of the winners after the break.

3^rd Prize: Framework

Win Rojanastien, Nuttapol Techopitch, Satavee Kijsanayotin | Thailand

Framework Interior Rendered View. Image Courtesy of Bee Breeders

Rather than rigidly programming the building, and dividing the public and artists’ spaces, Framework creates an open network of spaces, encouraging artists to define the program themselves, and encouraging visitors to explore. It is “reminiscent of artists squatting in a building open to the public,” creating a unique energy to attract attention and encouraging the “maximum exchange of ideas and experiences,” according to the jury commentary.

Framework also features a large public pathway and auditorium for public events, dividing its ground floor. This walkway connects the buildings in the surrounding block, reinforcing the activity within the retreat.

2^nd Prize: Archipaper

Pimnara Thunyathada, Boonvadee Laoticharoen | Thailand

Archipaper Rendered Elevation. Image Courtesy of Bee Breeders

Archipaper focuses on the process, rather than the result of making art. Long rolls of paper feature artist sketches and in-progress work throughout the building, allowing the public to experience both the final exhibitions and the process of its creation. Following this concept, the plan has a radial arrangement, reminiscent of an unrolling piece of paper. Public functions are situated closer to the ground, while private areas sit atop a large helical staircase around a central void.

Similarly to Framework, this project blurs the line between public space and artist space, with the in-process work of the artists flowing into the public space below it. By doing this, Archipaper combines a traditional gallery setting with a visit to an artist’s studio, ultimately creating a more immersive and personal experience for visitors of the retreat.

1^st Prize: Bangkok Retreat Artists

Quyet Tien Ngo | Vietnam

Courtesy of Bee Breeders

The first prize winner had the strongest, most concise concept, with clear illustration of its central idea: a series of stacked and staggered modules of private and public space. Within each block is both a private and public component, with a spatial variant separating them. The public spaces are double-storey height with transparent facades to allow natural light, while private areas are single storey with a brise-soleil façade that filters light.

The spatial composition is resolved at the top of the building with a roof-terrace restaurant and public café. Additionally, the project was one of few to repurpose the existing brutalist façade, incorporating new elements without being distracting. This move, along with the main concept, illustrated a potential for the project to be relevant to both the history and future of the city and site.

Read the full jury commentary for each of the projects, and see the honorable mentions here.

News view Bee Breeders

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© Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

• Architects: Studio DiDeA
• Location: Favignana TP, Italy
• Architects In Charge: Nicola Giuseppe Andò, Emanuela Di Gaetano, Giuseppe De Lisi, Alfonso Riccio
• Area: 78.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

• Collaborator: Dario De Benedictis
• Contractor: Giuseppe Morghese

© Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

‘U’ Coppu’ is a deli shop for fried food, designed with the aim to bring indoors Sicilian street food.

© Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

The project maintains unaltered the original vaulted spaces, where the new functions are hosted: seating area, the kitchen and the laboratory.

© Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

The counter evokes a typical street food’s counter. It is made by simple material such as larch, glass and a iron framework, from which light bulbs hang, illuminating the whole space.

Plan

The seating area is separated from the kitchen by a glazed wall that allows customers to see food preparation, that is served in coppu, the typical street food paper cone.

© Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

The floor is made by natural larch strip planking, which continues up the walls and ends in shelves.

Section

A resin band on the floor emphasizes the entry inviting to step into place, and the iron framework acts as graphic character of the whole project.

© Studio Didea and Dario De Benedictis

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© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

• Designers: PRODUCE
• Location: CT Hub 2, 114 Lavender Street, #11-80, Singapore 338729
• Project Lead: PRODUCE WORKSHOP
• Lead Designer: PAN Yicheng
• Area: 170.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2015
• Photographs: Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

• Collaborators: LOH Jian Hao, Jay; Don YAP; Stanley TAN; FU Yingzi; CHUA Hong Zhi; Chantal TAN; TEO Xiao Wei
• Civil And Structural Engineer: C2E Consultants
• Carpenters: Teck Lee Carpenters
• Metal Works: Wah Chye Engineering Work
• Acoustic Consultant And Supply Of Acoustic Panels: Sound Materials Pte Ltd

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

Little Red Ants is a creative studio known for churning out compelling videos for a multitude of clients. The nature of their work means they work round the clock, and their new office at CT Hub 2 at Lavender Street needs to be a sanctuary for eat, sleep and play, in addition to work. 

Diagram

The brief also called for a space that promotes communication as every project demands contributions from numerous staff members. As everyone has their little role and contribution to the big picture, they should have their own little space in this ‘ants’ nest’. It is all about working cohesively as a single body and creating a sense of bonding and belonging. To some extent it is anti- hot-desking. 

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

The result is an open-plan office space occupied by a single piece of furniture – a continuous figure- of-eight work desk that casually demarcates the worker’s space and the visitor’s space. 

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

It was designed to flow with their work cycle (from writers to editors) and to mirror the way they work (from work to rest, eat and play). The work desk serves as an organisational structure that absorbs and appropriates all storage and functions into its own form. The table bends up to cover the editing suite, full bathroom, server room, meeting-cum-casting room and pantry – forming a elevated platform – before bending down and looping back to the work stations. This single connecting structure also presented the possibility of concealing all cabling within it. The desk is one long looped cable train, and the cables are planned and laid concurrently during assembly on site. 

Plan

Naturally the single biggest challenge in this project is the fabrication of this central feature, which is an object that most carpenters will reject. The designers were able to use the company’s prototyping capability to test out possible solutions. To create the sinuous form, the internal curved supporting ribs and table top of the desk were cut using the CNC machine at the PRODUCE WORKSHOP. The finishing maple veneered ply sheets were scored with regular shallow cuts allowing it to bend over the curved structure forming a seamless joint between surfaces. This means that the carpenters need only to fit the customised cut pieces together using modular timber battens. 

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

Digital fabrication is the hero to realising the vision of this project. The single looping piece of furniture is poetic and is made possible through digital fabrication. 

Subtle grouping of functions is achieved with lighting. The loops of hanging lights mark out the space for the writers and editors. As they work 24-7, alternate warm and white down lights are installed with dimmers allowing for the change of ambience to suit different needs. 

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

The meeting room can be opened up to be part of the overall space. It comes with a retractable table and transforms into a casting studio at the touch of a button. 

The rendering and editing suite can be opened up to be part of the colony or closed off to create a sound proof environment. It is fitted with a cosy video lounge and hidden storage. 

© Edward Hendricks, CI&A Photography

All storage and functions form part of the central feature object in order to accentuate it. There are built-in iPad docking stations on the table and document racks hanging underneath it. 

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© Kim Teck Woo

• Architects: PLANEARTH Architects
• Location: Seoul, South Korea
• Interior Design : Uone Design Group
• Area: 9949.48 sqm
• Project Year: 2014
• Photographs: Kim Teck Woo

© Kim Teck Woo

From the architect. Dormy Inn Premium Seoul Garosugil Hotel is on the way into Garosugil which is famous as a fashion street. Garosugil is a representative attraction area of Seoul Gangnam, famous for fashion boutiques and cafes in low-rise buildings along the long tree-lined streets.    

© Kim Teck Woo

Its southern side is facing the business quarter of Gangnam area across a 50m-wide boulevard, and its northern side consists of commercial district in low-rise buildings with an open view toward Han River.  

© Kim Teck Woo

In the beginning, planned as a neighborhood living facility with 15 stories focused to clinic facility, it was under construction for basement. After the design change to a hotel was confirmed, Planearth Architects took charge in architecture design and completed the construction in early 2015.   

© Kim Teck Woo

By the nature of Commercial area, a typical architecture with central corridor in a full usage of lot coverage according to the building line cannot but become exclusive for back side street and, in most cases, the severance between front and back side street is accordingly unavoidable.

© Kim Teck Woo

When changing its use to hotel facility, the first thing we proposed was to construct newly a pedestrian passage out of the space spared from the left side of the building. By installing a pedestrian passage connecting the front street and the rear shopping street in order to make it an alley naturally created between buildings where people pass by frequently rather than a passage concept simply connecting one point to another, this makes it possible not only for hotel quests but also for normal passers-by to access directly the rear pedestrian street without making a long detour through the boulevard, and by locating the hotel sunken space for the ventilation and skylight of the underground floor and the exit of the rear shops at the pedestrian passage side, it makes it possible to connect the hotel restaurants, hotel sauna and the exit of the rear shops.

© Kim Teck Woo

In addition, for facade design, three skins expressing long queues of trees, the shadow made by the trees and their branches are overlapped in order to symbolize the long queues of trees along Garosugil where the hotel is located.  

Diagram

The difference of the projected surfaces made by overlapping stone material in a black tone that represents trees and branches in a white tone, irregularly arrayed against the background of curtain wall in a dark blue tone which is a metaphor of shadow, creates a deep shadow and realizes faithfully the feeling of perspective. 

© Kim Teck Woo

The stone material in a black tone was designed applying various modules with width of windows from 700mm, minimum requirement for evacuation, to 650mm, 700mm, 800mm and 900mm.

Section 2

 The façade designed in such way may became an attractive signpost and, at the same time, recognized as a symbol of Garosugil for everyone including travelers finding their way out and residents frequently passing by this area.  

© Kim Teck Woo

Dormy Inn Premium Seoul Garosugil Hotel, the first Korean branch of Japanese business hotel chain, has 215 guest rooms and auxiliary facilities such as downtown sauna facility which is a special feature of Dormy Inn Hotel, a restaurant mainly for breakfast serving Japanese home-style cooking and a sky lounge at the top floor.  

© Kim Teck Woo

This hotel is a building with 6 stories below and 17 above the ground, and its total floor area is 9,949.48m2. 

© Kim Teck Woo

The basic interior design of the hotel was charged by ILYA Corporation in Japan according to the facility standard of Dormy Inn Hotel. 

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