The scooped walls of this aluminium-clad retail and housing complex were designed by Iroje KHM Architects to mimic the concave roofs of conventional Korean homes .
The Seoul practice, which is led by HyoMan Kim, created the Archi-fiore building for a website in the Cheoin district of Yongin, a city to the south of Seoul.
The scalloped concrete construction is finished with white aluminium sheets, even though large panes of glass enclose an elevator shaft and external stairwells.
The building’s curving outline refers to the concave pitched-roof structures that are classic in Korea, as effectively as the elliptical form of a gymnasium that sits opposite.
“The most influential existence in the surrounding internet site is a enormous gymnasium with a round form,” explained HyoMan Kim.
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“To generate a dialogue with the round mass of the gymnasium we developed this task as a curved form, which is derived from the minus curve of conventional Korean roofs.”
HyoMan envisioned the 6-storey building as a vertical town. It houses eateries, offices, garden terraces and a penthouse apartment.
Terraces cut into the facade are connected by glazed staircases, making it possible for guests to meander up the facade to reach the upper levels.
“We never want this complex constructing to be regarded as as one building, but a tiny town consisting of 4 independent buildings,” explained the architect.
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The coffee shop and parking are found in the base of the framework, even though the restaurant is on the very first floor and an office is on the 2nd.
The duplex apartment, which has exposed concrete walls and wooden floors, occupies the uppermost amounts.
It functions a metal-framed balcony with a scalloped edge and a split-degree roof garden with paved patios and a little pond.
“We anticipate this complicated building will be the architectural flower and landmark of this town,” added the architect.
Archi-fiore is the latest in a series of buildings in South Korea featuring unusual facades that help to distinguish them from their neighbours. Other examples include a Seoul photography studio with a facade of concrete frames, a pair of mixed-use blocks with curved reduce-outs, a constructing with protruding home-shaped windows.
Photography is by Sergio Pirrone.
Venture credits:
Architect: Iroje KHM Architects
Principle architect: HyoMan Kim
Design and style crew: Kim Ji-Yeon, Oh Mi-Hwa
Ground floor plan 
First floor program 
Second floor prepare 
Third floor plan 
Fourth floor prepare 
Fifth floor program 
Roof program 
Area one particular 
Section two 
Area three Dezeen
