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Unique Architecture Creating the Face of Seoul

Seoul's scenery is diverse. Different buildings mix together to create the distinct look of its streets. These building structures then play an important part in the urban landscape, prompting architects to put just as much effort into a building’s exterior as they do into developing its practicality. Forms vary from simple shapes, like circles, triangles, and squares, to more distinctive architecture that appear to be a mixture of all different shapes. Let’s take a look at unique shapes of city spaces that contribute to the distinctive city scape of Seoul.

A Giant Alley Decor

#Graphic #GraphicNovel #Bookstore

Graphic is located in a narrow alley but it is not hard to spot the building itself. Unlike the surrounding scenery of red brick residential buildings, it has a completely different ambience. The building is in the shape of white cylinders stacked in layers with some cut-out sections, almost like a multi-tiered cake covered in whipped cream. It is almost impossible to guess the purpose of this three-story high windowless building just by looking at it from the outside. Despite the mysterious appearance from afar, with a closer look one can see the bumpy lines that run vertically along the structure’s facade. These lines represent the grain of a book’s pages, implying Graphic’s identity as a bookstore.

After passing through the large entrance door, a dark and narrow hallway appears. Pushing through a thick metal door, you can leave behind the chaotic reality to enter the tranquil world of books. Books covering the entrance from top to bottom clearly state the building’s identity as a bookstore. They are displayed on curved shelves that line the winding outer walls. In the center of the lobby, a single desk in the shape of a large curve grabs your attention. Chairs are hidden here and there, whether in front of a bookcase or under the stairs, evoking cozy memories of when you were younger and would sit down and make yourself comfortable anywhere to your favorite book or comic fantasy.

Endless reading nooks can be found on each floor as you climb up the straight line of stairs. Some areas look like a study room while others have a large sofa, or even a sofa bed for you to stretch your legs out. Considering the different reading postures of each person, the seating is designed so that anyone can read a book in a posture that suits them. The light coming in through structural gaps, which grow smaller as you go up, makes it the best place to read a book. The care put into the space stands out as it invites you to enjoy a cozy bathed in the sunlight.

Just like the mysterious exterior, the interior is surrounded by magnificent walls that make it impossible to guess the interior space is also secretive. Approximately 100 new books are brought in every month, providing a new experience each time you visit. The fact that only adults over the age of 19 are allowed to enter makes the space even more secretive. A space where you can read books without time constraints becomes a haven for one to shake off the weariness of life while having a light drink with a book. This is a playground for adults, where you can go back in time to your innocent, carefree, and worry-free childhood, when you could immerse yourself in the world of books or comics stacked by your side.

Address              33, Hoenamu-ro 39-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Operation Hours  Daily 13:00 ~ 23:00 KST (Closed Mondays) 

The Aesthetics of Living, Breathing Wood Grain Concrete

#Songeun #HiddenPineTree #ArtGallery

Located right in front of Dosan-daero, Songeun has a sophisticated exterior, allowing it to naturally meld with the bustling urban landscape. This light gray-brown concrete building is the first project in Korea by world-renowned architect duo, Herzog & de Meuron (HdM). Boasting a long rectangular shape from the front and a sharp triangular shape from the side, this building structure is already quite an attractive display of architecture. As the meaning of its name, "hidden pine tree," suggests, the surface embodying the grain of a pine tree exudes elegance. After concrete was poured between the cast and hardened, the wood grain was brought to life by directly scratching the areas where the grain was not as visible.

The first floor, which has exposed concrete extending inside from the exterior, is an open space where the inside and outside communicate. Songeun’s signature spiral wall, which occupies most of the first-floor space, is also made of concrete. One wall is made entirely of glass, allowing the outdoor garden to aesthetically fuse with the interior. The lighting shaped like dripping water and the garden with assorted plants relieve the heavy pressure of the interior created by the concrete walls. The stairs connected from the inside to the outside of the building give a three-dimensional effect as if the space is actually connected through the glass window.

The second and third floors, which are the main exhibition spaces of Songeun, are connected through a long and narrow rectangular glass window. The only one of its kind in Korea, this window is about 13 meters long. On the second floor are large windows on both sides of the exhibition space. Sunlight pouring in through the windows creates a warm feeling along with the white walls and wooden floors. On the other hand, a dark space was created on the third floor where light is thoroughly blocked except for a small amount of light coming in through the window from one wall. The juxtaposed atmosphere of the warm second floor and the dark third floor emanates its own appeal, showing the double-sidedness of one space.

The basement exhibition hall is a space that merges the opposing charm of the second and third floors. The light that enters through the spiral sunken space connected from the basement to the first floor illuminates the darkness of the underground space. A massive concrete wall with impressive smooth curves overwhelms the surrounding atmosphere at once. This space was formed while designing a space that was originally meant to be a spiral ramp of a parking lot into an exhibition hall. This space, which the architects called a found space, a previously unused space prior to renovation or adaptive use, was discovered late in the design process, and it became a sunken gallery in the gallery. Come and absorb the energy found here within the colorful appearance that changes according to the angle of view.

Address              441, Dosan-daero, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Operation Hours  Daily 11:00 ~ 18:30 KST