Seoul is set to receive a remarkable architectural upgrade to its Hanwha Galleria shopping centre in the wealthy Apgujeong-dong neighbourhood. The design proposal, crafted by UK-based architectural practice Heatherwick Studio, will transform the high-end department store into “rippled hourglasses”.
The plan was the winner of a competition organised by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that tendered for a new design that would “challenge conventional notions of a luxury department store” and “affirm the country’s increasingly influential role as a global cultural powerhouse”.
The vision behind the crystalline aesthetic aims to revive the shopping centre’s significance in the South Korean capital, or as Heatherwick Studio notes, to “redefine the store’s connection to the local area”. The unique shape of the symmetrical buildings, featuring internally curving glass façades in an undulating pattern, aims to create defining views of the Han River along with becoming a backdrop for nighttime projections. The establishments will be supported by an exposed structural framework and divided in two by the big ground level crossroad, however connected underground by the metro which is also going to be updated.
“Traditionally, department stores are quite inward facing, they feel closed off to the surrounding streets. But here we have an important intersection in Apgujeong with two buildings, east and west, that felt like an opportunity to bring people together,” said Neil Hubbard, partner and group leader at Heatherwick Studio on the design. “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.”
Upon entry, visitors will be met with a light-filled atria and landscaped plazas before opening out onto a middle level featuring cafes, restaurants and shops. At the top of the buildings, plant-filled rooftop gardens with views of the city will add a touch of green to the experience. Constructed with a “double-layered skin” to enhance sustainability, the buildings will also duplicate as a venue for art exhibitions and events.
This isn’t the only project Heatherwick Studio will be working on in Seoul, with plans in place to turn Nodeul Island into a public park with “floating islets”. The founder of Heatherwick Studio, Thomas Featherwick, was also recently appointed at the fifth edition of the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism as general director. The architecture firm is also currently working on a similar project to the Hanwha Galleria in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, featuring undulating columns in a variety of colours.
