Located in a dense urban pocket of Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, this neighborhood facility distinguishes itself through its bold monolithic form and aerodynamic curvature.
The building rises as a sculptural white volume, with soft corners and vertically stretched windows that evoke both elegance and verticality.
A distinctive sequence of rounded apertures along the facade introduces rhythm, while optimizing light and views for the interior spaces.
At the street level, the use of brick cladding and full-height glazing creates a grounded, approachable base that responds to pedestrian scale.
The massing subtly tapers at the top, enhancing the skyline and minimizing visual heaviness despite its narrow footprint.
This project demonstrates how compact urban sites can still foster expressive architecture—balancing programmatic efficiency with formal clarity.
It functions not only as a practical mixed-use facility, but as a refined urban landmark that activates its corner site with confidence and calm restraint.
The building stands out through its streamlined massing and aerodynamic silhouette, responding sensitively to the tight urban fabric of Nonhyeon-dong.
Its chamfered vertical edge and curved corners create a softened street presence, while maximizing spatial efficiency on a narrow corner plot.
The clean white façade, finished with fine stucco, enhances light reflectivity and emphasizes the purity of form.
A vertical slit window runs along the building’s sharp edge, reinforcing the overall height while acting as a subtle light shaft for the interior.
The series of elliptical windows on the main façade provide a distinct architectural rhythm and sculptural identity, while controlling light and views.
– Completion Photo –
The ground floor is recessed and transparent, utilizing full-height glazing and brick cladding to create a sense of openness and urban permeability.
The sloped zinc roof at the rear blends seamlessly into the building’s volume, offering durability while defining a crisp architectural finish.
Despite its modest scale, the building achieves landmark quality through proportion, detail, and a disciplined material palette.
The lower portion of the building is articulated with horizontal brick coursing, introducing texture and scale to an otherwise minimal mass.
This tactile base visually anchors the floating white volume above and resonates with the finer grain of the surrounding urban fabric.
Seen between narrow alleys and flanked by older low-rise structures, the building asserts a crisp contemporary presence without overpowering its context.
Glass reveals at the base and large apertures above act as visual thresholds, offering framed glimpses of the neighborhood beyond.
Through material contrast and proportion control, the project achieves a careful balance between architectural clarity and contextual empathy.
