Silver Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2023
I Park The Urban Complex Cultural Space
by Euna Park
- A' Design Award 2023 Silver Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Cre-Te
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 17,848
- Verification code B5C0C70983 · Verify this award
About I Park The Urban Complex Cultural Space
The project is the largest business-commercial-cultural complex in Seoul and is the world's first project by a large Swedish furniture brand to enter the capital. The work facilities, which account for a large portion of the program, were conducted with the first live-office concept in line with the lifestyle change due to the pandemic. It is planned as an independent work and residential space, and one-stop all-around services such as culture, leisure, shopping, and food are possible, enabling independent life.
This distinguished architectural achievement exemplifies the contemporary approach to urban mixed-use development that seeks to reconcile monumental scale with human engagement and public generosity at the ground plane. The design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of facade articulation through its employment of a bold structural grid that creates deep shadow pockets and projecting balcony elements, generating visual rhythm and environmental responsiveness while providing residents with meaningful outdoor living spaces that engage with surrounding views. The massing strategy appears to organize programmatic elements hierarchically, with transparent commercial and cultural volumes at the podium level transitioning to residential towers above, the junction between these zones handled through horizontal datum lines and material shifts that articulate the building's civic versus private functions. Technical accomplishment is evident in the handling of the curtain wall system at lower levels, where slender mullion profiles maximize transparency and create dialogue between interior activities and urban life, while the upper residential facades employ heavier concrete framing that provides solar shading and privacy while maintaining visual connection to the broader landscape. The atmospheric rendering captures a moment of transition between day and evening, interior illumination beginning to assert itself against fading daylight in a manner that reveals the building's potential as urban beacon and gathering point. One might observe how the composition positions the viewer as approaching pedestrian, establishing an experiential sequence from street-level engagement through vertical ascent that the architecture itself would orchestrate. What qualities of contemporary urban life does such integration of dwelling, commerce, and culture invite us to contemplate?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The project is the largest business-commercial-cultural complex in Seoul, and is the world's first project by a large Swedish furniture brand to enter the capital. The work facilities, which account for a large portion of the program, were conducted with the first live-office concept in line with the lifestyle changed due to the pandemic. It is planned as an independent work and residential space, and one-stop all-round services such as culture, leisure, shopping, and food are possible, enabling independent life.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Site area : 301,337m2, Building area : 21,484m2, Building height : 90m, Scale : B1F-B6F, 1F-21F, 598 office units
- Tags
- High-end, Office, Shopping mall, One stop service, Hospitality, Lifestyle, Park
- Production Technology
- It actively introduced eco-friendly energy as a heat source of geothermal and solar energy more than twice as much as other projects. They were careful in selecting construction processes and finishing materials to match the first grade of eco-friendly leads. Eco-friendly finishing materials were conducted through active consultation with the Dutch parent company from the beginning of the project and voted for mou in 2019, before the construction. For exterior materials, the environment, maintenance, and sustainability were considered by avoiding metal materials and actively reflecting clay-based ceramics and tiles.
- Design Challenge
- It is a project that most actively reflects lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic, and the biggest challenge was to propose a new type of office that allows both work and housing. The market evaluation was by far the best, and about 600 units in three days drew a response from the market. Based on this antipathy, Seoul now has a new category for the live-office. A large Swedish furniture brand will also open a warehouse-type store in the city center of the capital for the first time in the world. Swedish furniture brand company itself will be a big challenge.
- Project Duration
- The project is located in the central district of Godeok Biz Valley, the center of the eastern economy, and the entire cluster leads the market value of the eastern part of Seoul and the surrounding city center. Initially, it began as an international phenomenon in 2017 and was changed to a work-oriented complex facility in 2018 due to the replacement of implementers. Construction began in August 2020 and is currently underway with the aim of completing it in November 2024, and it is the largest project invested in a single-scale building in Seoul.
- Operation Flow
- The design first consisted of a village with various lifestyle programs other than a large Swedish furniture brand in a huge simple space. In addition, as business facilities were added, morphological awareness became important as it became twice the existing volume. It is divided into two parts: a horizontal mass in the lower part of the lifestyle village and a vertical mass in the form of a bridge, a life office, to actively advocate LESS IS MORE. This shows the design pleasure and clarity of simplicity.
- Research
- Master of the Seoul National University, Sohn Soo-min: A Study on the Changes in Consumption Sales and Influencing Factors in Seoul's Residential Area Using Big Data around COVID-19.
- Inspiration
- "Big Box & Down Town Village" The project was to create a community valley with downtown functions in Godeok Biz Valley, which is focused on work. The priority was to create a village that contains various programs in a simple mass with a safe artificial environment by approaching it from the perspective of lifestyle, not formative emphasis. In this process, collaboration with a large Swedish furniture brand and distributors was carried out, and a step-by-step design process was established by market logic.
- Image Credits
- Image #1, 2, 3, 4, 5: JK MIRAE
Video credits: JK MIRAE
Colors of I Park The Urban Complex Cultural Space
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G0E23 ShopDesign Interview about I Park The Urban Complex Cultural Space
It started with New York's Central Park as a motif. From the actions in the park to the skyscrapers surrounding it, I wanted to bring the empirical aspect and the constructive logic of the space. The result actually implemented contains a variety of lifestyles enough to talk about cents as miniatures of parks.
In Korea, we often use the word ‘slipper area’(a neighborhood in the heart of it all). It means an area where you can wear slippers and live. New York Center wanted to realize a one-stop service space that can lead a variety of lifestyles in a miniature place in the park, and we are proud to have created more than 90% of it. This can be achieved with the active support of the client and the constant efforts of our team.
The project is still 15 months away from completion. Maybe in 15 months, I will experience and use this space myself.
I started this project in 2017, and even in the process of changing the business owner, I was able to continue working on this project. I think it was a rare opportunity. It took 5 years to complete the concept and plan. If you think about the point of completion of the building, you can see that it has invested 7 years in the project. It can be said that there is no project in Korea with a planning period like this.
This project, which has a complex program, was carried out by myself from planning to design. The client has provided active support in many areas in this area. In the end, we were able to come up with a design and marketable result.
As answered in other question, I like Daniel Libeskind's design. The design of this project is a completely different design in the larger context, but I think I borrowed some elements.
I don't think there is a similar project in Korea, but from the point of view of a complex project, I think it is the largest 'park' in Korea.
The spatial brand name of the project is ‘Park the Urban’. It is intended to remind you of New York's Central Park, which was used as a motif, and to apply this much sky park to the city center in Korea, a high-density city beyond New York.
My company solved all the design and technical aspects, and collaborated with a medium-sized architectural design office on the scale of the project.
A large-scale survey was conducted to analyze business feasibility and define user characteristics and targets. Consumer preferences for central commercial facilities near the site were investigated, and such objective data were actively utilized in project composition. The program's composition and MD also utilized these data.
There is a large multiplex in the program, and an office of 60,000 py(198,350㎡) is formed on top of it. A lot of time has been devoted to structural review to address this. And consumer preference and market analysis for office sailing is also a part of the effort.
Since domestic awards target completion of construction, we decided to submit it to leading overseas awards that prioritize design. It was also because it took too much time to wait for these achievements until completion. We also decided that it would be a great help in promoting Cre-te's design skills.
The effort of one or two people is not enough to design a space of this scale. Of course, there were numerous participants, and it was also difficult to lead them. It seems that there are over 70 actual participants. Leading and materializing the design required the ability to bring the team together, so I think I was able to learn how to control myself as well.
Grand Interview about I Park The Urban Complex Cultural Space
The pandemic-created telecommuting trend has highlighted the need for a flexible hybrid space that naturally fuses work and housing. As a result, the design is designed to combine multifunctional layouts, dedicated workspaces, and the comfort of housing into one. Enhanced ventilation systems, contactless technologies, and wellness-focused amenities address health concerns, and collaborative spaces strengthen communities. This approach reimagines productivity while meeting the changing needs of modern professionals.
The vision of I Park The Urban complex cultural space was inspired by a global change to unified urban life. Recognizing a modern society with a growing demand for convenience and connectivity, we envisioned a space where culture, leisure, shopping, and food services naturally converge, and this concept reflects changing urban life patterns where work, leisure, and everyday needs are interconnected. By creating a dynamic ecosystem that promotes community participation and enriches everyday life, it fulfills the efficiency and balance that modern people need and redefines the urban life experience.
I Park The Urban's geothermal system leverages stable underground temperatures to reduce energy consumption and provide efficient heating and cooling. At the same time, solar panels utilize renewable energy to power essential operations and minimize reliance on fossil fuels. This dual approach halves the carbon footprint compared to similar projects and ensures long-term sustainability. This integration reflects our commitment to green innovation and sets a new benchmark for urban complex cultural spaces.
"Big Box and Downtown Village" harmonized between architectural minimalism and complex programming requirements. "Big Box" provides an integrated and concise structure that efficiently accommodates a variety of features, while "Downtown Village" promotes community interaction through people-centric elements and intimate spaces. With strategic zoning, modular placement, and multifunctional space design, flexibility is achieved without visual confusion, and this approach combines simplicity and functionality to create a dynamic yet integrated environment that celebrates both shape and human connection.
It is the first urban-style store in Korea by IKEA, a global furniture company, and its key design is an organic link between IKEA’s anchor retail and complex culture space. It considered the composition of IKEA on the back of the building, underground marts, and a huge loading system for shopping malls, and the proportion of the entire building with a blue box symbolizing IKEA on the front.
I Park the Urban complex comes from a complete integration of live office functionality and sophisticated design. I believe buyers especially sympathized with the adaptive layout that meets their work and personal needs. High-end materials, coworking spaces, and wellness facilities enhance the appeal. This holistic approach that encompasses all elements of urban life is a deeply relatable space for modern buyers seeking flexibility, convenience, and a well-rounded lifestyle in one space.
To achieve harmony between the components of the lifestyle village and the office in the form of a bridge, a systematic approach was adopted. To strategically position the village and office to construct a balanced mass and to strengthen the cityscape and connectivity, we introduced openings and glass elements. The gradual transition between volumes induces a natural gaze on the user, and the green and connecting paths are blurred to smooth out the boundaries. This approach balances functionality and aesthetic elements, creating a dynamic environment where work and lifestyle spaces are harmoniously integrated.
Clay-based ceramics and tiles used in the I Park The Urban complex cultural space were chosen for their sustainability and long-term functionality. These materials were chosen for their durability, low maintenance costs, and eco-friendly production processes that minimize carbon emissions. Not only does the ceramic's natural aesthetics blend seamlessly into indoor and outdoor spaces in harmony with the project's design philosophy, but its excellent insulation performance increases energy efficiency, and its high durability ensures long-term use. This careful material choice reflects the will to create a sustainable and timeless architectural environment.
I Park The Urban complex cultural space is poised to redefine urban development in Seoul’s eastern economic hub by setting a precedent for integrated, multifunctional spaces. This project blends culture, commerce, and community, demonstrating how mixed-use developments can enhance urban vitality. Its innovative design prioritizes sustainability, connectivity, and human-centric spaces, inspiring future developments to adopt similar approaches. By fostering economic growth and social engagement, I Park The Urban is more than a landmark—it is a blueprint for creating dynamic and sustainable urban environments.
Rather than a formative emphasis, the priority was to create a village that was approached from a lifestyle point of view and composed of simple chunks of various programs with a safe artificial environment. We carefully planned the movement system so that various lifestyle programs could be placed in a simple and large space to form a village and intuitively explore various spaces from commercial to cultural spaces. The smooth transition of indoor and outdoor spaces reflects an inclusive approach to increase usability and connect communities, transforming everyday activities into curated experiences of urban life where users are more comfortable and immersive.