Architects: See Architects
Area: 600 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Mongsang
Lead Architects: Kee Hyun Lew
Design Team: Changhee Lee, Seoho Lee
City: Seoul
Country: South Korea
Nonhyeon 73 Commercial Building, designed by See Architects in Seoul increases visibility, improves space use, and enhances access on a compact site northeast of Hakdong Station. Positioned at the southern boundary and extending beyond adjacent buildings, it maximizes retail frontage along the main road. Dual parking entries improve circulation. A party wall above the entrance leads to an external staircase that follows the zoning envelope and is excluded from the FAR, allowing greater floor area and offering rising views of the neighborhood. The southern facade blends windows, party walls, and the elevator core into an asymmetrical composition. A continuous banded wall wraps the staircase, forming a strong mass and folded three-dimensional volume. The design strengthens the building’s role in the Nonhyeon-dong streetscape.
Situated in an alley northeast of Hakdong Station, the project was designed to maximize visibility, optimize space utilization, and improve convenience. The building includes parking entrances on both sides, which enables the first-floor retail space to occupy the full width along the main southern road. By placing the structure near the southern boundary, it extends forward beyond adjacent buildings, increasing its visibility from the primary east-west axis.
A key design feature is the party wall that extends above the entrance and parking area, contributing to a larger building mass while framing the view of the sky. This wall connects to an external staircase that rises along the zoning envelope. The staircase traces the building’s form and is excluded from the floor area ratio, thereby maximizing the permitted retail floor space. As users move upward, a panoramic view of the surrounding neighborhood gradually opens. The southern facade, incorporating elements such as windows, party walls, and the elevator core, obscures the distinction between floors and introduces an asymmetrical composition.
The exterior wall of the building, which encloses the staircase, is designed as a continuous band, contributing to a sense of mass and generating a three-dimensional form through a series of folding planes. The southern facade, oriented toward the main road, emphasizes the overall volume of the structure, while the northern side accentuates its three-dimensional articulation.
Ultimately, the project was conceived to strengthen its physical and visual presence within a dense urban setting. It contributes to the streetscape of Nonhyeon-dong through its functional layout and considered architectural features.
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Project Location
Address: 73 Nonhyeon Neighborhood, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
