_{Image courtesy of Kyungsub Shin e Kevin Scott}

Shinsegae International
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Completed

In designing the 15-story headquarters for international luxury clothier Shinsegae International, the design team sought to create an iconic landmark in the heart of Gangnam-gu, one of Seoul’s largest districts.

_{Image courtesy of Kyungsub Shin e Kevin Scott}

Completed in 2015, the commercial flagship unites more than five hundred Shinsegae employees, who were previously spread between several buildings throughout the city. The program includes staff offices, meeting spaces, design studios, a rooftop garden, and ground-level retail space that faces onto a public plaza.

_{Image courtesy of Kyungsub Shin e Kevin Scott}

The building is visually divided into two portions – the lower portion relates to the lively motion and interaction happening on the street, while the upper portion relates to the larger urban context of the Gangnam-gu neighborhood.

_{Image courtesy of Kyungsub Shin e Kevin Scott} 

The lower portion of the building relates to the pedestrian experience, and is all about revealing and display, i.e. making visible the large wheels and counterweights that move the metal panels.

_{Image courtesy of Kyungsub Shin e Kevin Scott}

The atypical façade treatment of the upper portion of the building employs a major/minor envelope grid that defies the expected floor breakup, resulting in a more pleasing proportion than the typical high-rise tower seen elsewhere in this urban context.

_{Image courtesy of Kyungsub Shin e Kevin Scott}

The rooftop garden provides a sky-level retreat for employees and sweeping views of the energetic city.

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