MVRDV: Chungha Building

Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has recently completed the renovation of a mixed-use building in Apgujung Road, in the Gangnam area of Seoul, South Korea. Originally completed in the 1980s, the Chungha building is located in a street dominated by flagship stores. The 9-month renovation added an extra level to the volume, and completely revamped the building's façade. "The new façade concept is convincingly simple," state MVRDV, who superimposed onto this multiple identity building a series of shop windows, so each commercial venture imposed onto the façade would have a fitting canvas for its display. "The building’s façade becomes more advertisement, and in that sense paradoxically more honest," the architects point out.

The limited size of the construction site proved to be a challenge for the architects, as the building is five storeys tall but only 2,5 metres at its widest point. The architects applied curvaceous frames for the shop windows, and clad the façade with mosaic tile. LED lights change the building's appearance throughout the day. A 10% addition on the top floor will be turned into a café with outside terraces, resulting in a total surface of 2,820 square metres. The exterior façade tiles, which, according to the architects, "resemble white foam from close-up and smooth white stone from further away", are also used on the sidewalk and in the lobby.

MVRDV: Chungha Building
Architects: MVRDV: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries with Fokke Moerel, Kyosuk Lee, Daehee Suk, Sara Bjelke, Ferdjan van der Pijl
Co-architects: InC Design Group : Chang rock Kim, Jaehoon Lee, Boram Lee, Anna Lee, Jinju Dong, Eun ae Choi
Location: Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam, Seoul, KR.
Client: Woon Nam Management Co. Ltd. Seoul, KR.
Intervention: renovation of a 2,820 square metre mixed-use building
Program: shops, offices, cafè
Contractor: Ain Construction
Structure: 1’st Structure, Seoul, KR.
Lighting: Total LED
Ceramics: M&S Ceramic
Completion: 2013