The very first building by Herzog & de Meuron in South Korea completed

Starting from September 2021 the ST International Corporation and the SongEun Art & Cultural Foundation will be hosted in a new headquarters in the Cheongdam Dong neighborhood, the most famous of Seul’s luxury districts. Following a today rather common functional program, the ST / SongEun Building reunites in a single building a part of the company’s office and the foundation’s spaces for exhibitions and cultural activities. The international echo of the event is emphasised by the participation of such a world-renowned firm as  Herzog & de Meuron, who have the opportunity to realise their very first work in South Korea. The Swiss duo designs the ST / SongEun Building as a stately triangular totem.

While certainly in part self-satisfied, this pure, radical geometric configuration also stems from practical considerations. In the words of its authors, “this shape results from the building envelope specified for the site, maximizing the floor area and exploiting the sculptural potential of the zoning laws”. Besides few openings of giant order, the ST / SongEun Building is entirely clad in exposed concrete. Herzog & de Meuron prove yet another time their mastery in working on the building’s skin. The rotation of formworks’ wood boards results in an ever-changing, multi-directional chiaroscuro, which enriches and make vibrate the compact mass of what aims at becoming a new landmark in the Korean capital’s urban landscape.