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Originally completed in 1998, the Hanwha Headquarters tower in downtown Seoul was initially built as a relatively non-descript office block at the centre of a cluster of office towers that line the heavily urbanized Cheonggyecheon Stream running through the city centre. At 21 storeys tall and currently clad in a mixture of grey-brown panelling and dark-blue-tinted windows, the tower has long been in need of a facelift. The tower and related public realm elements are set to be completely revamped by UNStudio as part of an ambitious remodelling project to be completed by 2018.
Viewed in the images above and below, the remodelling process has reached the re-cladding stage. The intricate panelling and window system, arranged in a seemingly random geometric pattern, has been designed to best take advantage of the regular daily movements of the sun. The pattern was designed to capture as much natural light as possible while remediating the negative effects of sunlight exposure upon exterior and interior surfaces.
Covered in a multitude of individual LED pixels, the new cladding will have the ability to light up and change colour. Once completed, the facade will boast a distinctive nighttime glow, with thousands of LED pixels to be controlled by a sophisticated computerized lighting system that will allow for a virtually limitless array of possibilities in terms the tower's outward appearance.
Rising beside the Cheonggyecheon Stream, the possibilities at ground level for public realm improvements are similarly vast, with proposed changes to the grounds and plaza outside the tower to help beautify the immediate area. Seen below, the daytime rendering captures the new look of the tower in context with the rehabilitated riverbed and remodelled public space at the base of the structure.
There is still a long way to go, with the new cladding about one third of the way up the tower and the majority of the public realm improvements and landscaping initiatives yet to begin.
By project's end, the remodelling will represent a vast improvement to both the tower and the surrounding grounds. The modern facade complemented by the rehabilitated riverbed and public realm upgrades will hopefully kickstart a trend in the area, with the reclamation of the riverbed alone reason enough to proceed.
SkyriseCities will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
