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A giant white cube in central Seoul is gradually taking shape, marking the future home of the new headquarters for the Korean cosmetics company Amorepacific. Bordered by Hangangro Avenue, one of Seoul's primary corridors, the David Chipperfield-designed building creates a unique identity in an area of the city fashioned by a diversity of architectural styles. The boxy structure is arranged around a central courtyard that amplifies the building's ability to soak in natural light and ventilation.
The unconventional building rests upon a raised stone plinth which serves as a linking platform for its multiple entrances. The resulting public space responds to its urban context, primarily the nearby park, which complements this new civic gesture. The blocky mass of the building is broken up by three large rectangular openings, designed to provide mesmerizing views of the city and distant mountains from its internal elevated gardens. These apertures function as recreation zones for tenants taking a break from their work.
The facade treatment is characterized by full-height panes of glass and adjoining strips of aluminum fins, which act as a brise-soleil. The random arrangement of the fins playfully alters the building's texture, heaviness, and surface. The building's anticipated public program, which includes a museum, conference area, auditorium, restaurants, and retail, will be located on the lower levels around the central atrium. In-situ concrete, glass, and natural stone will define the aesthetic of these spaces.
Recent photos from the construction site show four concrete cores erupting from each corner of the project. Serviced by a pair of cranes, the steel-framed building is gradually climbing skyward as cladding is affixed to the lower levels of the structure. So far, the glass and aluminum skin has covered about four floors of the volume's second tier. Completion is expected to be marked in 2017.
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