Two Axes

A project building a commercial facility for a profit business on undeveloped land in a transit-hub area within the metropolitan region, where the shrine of Prince Uian Yi Hwa, one of the founding contributors of the Joseon dynasty, stands.

Though a transit hub, the site sits at an intersection affected by an underpass.

Two axes were set along the business-site boundary facing the road, and the building masses and blocks were arranged to match. From layout, plan, and elevation to finishes, the plan proceeded with a concept linked to these two axes.

As the plan progressed on the irregular wide site, separate buildings such as a shrine and a caretaker's house were added. As each building's use differed, the character, perceived image, and finishes were given differently per building.

The main commercial building crosses two boxes along the two axes and, through the contrast of horizontal and vertical windows and finishes, sharpens the contrast between blocks to relieve the monotony of the roughly 90-meter-long elevation. In particular, arranging the single-floor horizontal windows in several slender rows makes the visual scale feel expanded and harmonizes with the vertical window arrangement.

The columns and beams exposed as structure in the outdoor space created by the two twisted blocks were naturally used as elevation elements. Because of the uncertain mix of tenant shops, I cannot know what indirect forms may be added to or removed from the exterior, but I hope the intended sculptural language will not be marred — if only by the building's scale.