-02 Amorepacific Headquarters, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Previous Work: Christoph Felger at David Chipperfield Architects
Project: Amorepacific Headquarters, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Year: 2010-2018
Programme: Office, museum, retail, hospitality and kindergarten
Site Area: 1,8 ha
Gross Floor Area: 216.000 m2
Client: Amorepacific Corporation, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Commission: Invited competition
Scope: Stages of work in accordance with HOAI 1-3, detailed design and artistic supervision
Description: The Amorepacific Headquarters emerged from a close collaboration between client and architect across cultural and linguistic boundaries. Rather than drawing on formal references, the design process began with a shared exploration of Korean history, architecture and material culture. Through this exchange, architecture became an act of translation, transforming ideas into spatial form while building trust and a common understanding. Conceived as an extension of the adjacent Yongsan Park, the building mediates between a large corporate institution and the dense urban fabric of Seoul. An open ground floor connects city and landscape, while a central courtyard brings light, air and orientation deep into the building. Large urban openings link this interior void to the surrounding city and create a sequence of elevated gardens and outdoor spaces. A diaphanous façade of vertical fins moderates sunlight, enhances environmental performance and frames views across Seoul. Rather than presenting itself as an isolated object, the building acts as an infrastructural framework that balances openness and privacy, public life and workplace, architecture and landscape. The project is documented through Landing, a film initiated by Christoph Felger and realised by artist Shirin Sabahi. The images presented here are drawn exclusively from this cinematic perspective, offering an alternative view of the building through occupation, perception and everyday use.

Team David Chipperfield Architects

Partners | David Chipperfield, Christoph Felger (Design Lead), Harald Müller (Project Management)
Project Architects | Hans Krause, Nicolas Kulemeyer, Thomas Pyschny
Project Team | Isabel Albano-Müller, Wolfgang Baumeister, Wolfram Belz, Cyrell Boehm, Viktor Braun, Ronan Burke, Christian Busch, Rodrigo Carrasquer, Robert Chandler, Sophia Deckel, Caterina Decker, Ivan Dimitrov, Paul Eckert, Rebecca Egan, Carlo Fischer, Kristen Finke, Alberto Franco Flores, Franziska Friebel, Nico Gaar, Christoph Goeke, Caroline Hammarström, Rafael Heine, Anne Hengst, Matthias Heskamp, Paul Hillerkus, Wilhelmina Hoffmann, Frank Jödicke, Frithjof Kahl, Kristin Karig, Ruben Kiewiet, Julie Studer, Anke Lawrence, Ho Sun Lee, Xuda Liu, Dalia Liksaite, Jens Lorbeer, Pascal Maas, Peter von Matuschka, Franziska Michalsky, Lorand Mittay, Sandra Morar, Carthage Murphy, Felix Müller-Hartburg, Eve Neumann, Miguel Ortigão, Nicolas Pabion, Diogo Passarinho, Alexandre Pavlidis, Mariana Peralta, Lena Peters, Rosa Piepoli, Ken Polster, Ilona Priwitzer, Maximilian Pudenz, Susie Ryu, Franziska Rusch, Noriyuki Sawaya, Josh Saunders, Diana Schaffrannek, Julia Schenke, Antonia Schlegel, Lilli Scherner, Fabian Schneider, Lukas Schwind, Gunda Schulz, Marlitt Schwarzer, Lijun Shen, Vincent Sijssens, Caroline Stahl, Marleen Stauth, Christian Stöckert, Iason Tsironis, Jene Van Den Abeele, Natacha Viveiros, Gordan Vitevski, Marc Warrington, Max Werner, Robert Westphal, Malte Wilms, Kyung Ho Won, Roberto Zitelli

Collaborators

Local Advisor | Haewon Shin
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Local Architecture | HAEAHN Architecture, KESSON
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Site Supervision | Kunwon Engineering Co. Ltd.
Seoul, Republic of Korea

General Contractor | Hyundai Engineering & Construction
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Engineering Services | Arup Berlin & London
Germany / United Kingdom

Signage Design | L2M3 Communication Design
Sascha Lobe
Stuttgart, Germany

Landscape Architecture | SeoAhn
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Completion Photography | Noshe & Laurian Ghinitoiu
Berlin, Germany