Haeundae Udong Hyundai I’Park

Busan, South Korea Completed

Here, on the waterfront of the southern city of Busan, the largest city in South Korea after Seoul, Studio Libeskind created the tallest residential tower in Asia*. The Haeundae Udong mixed-use project encompasses residential towers, a hotel, an office tower, and a three-floor retail building with residential units—altogether a 4 ½ million-square-foot development. Instead of a simple extrusion of the footprints of these oceanside buildings, Studio Libeskind varied the heights, curved the façades and tapered the profiles to create a sculptural composition on the horizon.  The curvilinear geometry serves a sustainability strategy, harvesting and modulating natural light.  The concept is…

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Archipelago 21 (Yongsan International Business District)

Seoul, South Korea In design

Archipelago 21, Studio Libeskind’s masterplan for the redevelopment of the Yongsan International Business District, dramatically re-envisions the landscape of Seoul, South Korea’s historic capital city.  Incorporating more than 30 million square feet of built area in a large urban park along the Han River, the sustainable plan was conceived to include an international business district, residential neighborhoods, cultural institutions, educational facilities, retail, and transportation. The Studio approached the plan from a human perspective, designing the project from the ground up. The site is organized like an archipelago, broken into distinct neighborhoods called “islands” connected internally by using a retail valley,…

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Harmony Tower

Seoul, South Korea In design

The Harmony Tower design concept is for a 46-story, sustainable office high-rise in the Yongsan International Business District (YIBD) redevelopment, in which Studio Libeskind did a masterplan. Inspired by traditional Korean paper lanterns, the façade is faceted with multiple planes that reflect the sky and earth and capture light from its differing angles. Three-story vertical winter gardens on the south and west façades provide users with access to natural ventilation and planted gardens at each of the 38 office floors. The gardens offer cozy, intimate environments, as well as spacious, transparent spaces. The gardens not only act as open, park…

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Tangent Façade

Seoul, South Korea Completed

Studio Libeskind designed the bold façade of the new Hyundai Development Company headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea, to integrate the building with a public plaza and below-grade spaces, as well as serve future development on the site. A gigantic, 203-foot ring, encompassing red and white geometric forms, and an inclined metal vector was superimposed onto the existing modern office tower, transforming the main façade and plaza areas. The façade also includes working balconies and louvers. The design explores the interplay of light and shadow, varying light conditions throughout the year and creating a meditative environment for reflection. The project…

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