Galleria Centercity. UNStudio

    

Amsterdam UNStudio architects have completed this department store in Cheonan, South Korea.

Call Centercity Galleria, the building facade is composed of two layers of foil, creating a moiré effect.

Animations and light patterns projected from the skin at night.

Daylight is admitted through the front and is reflected throughout the interior of all white redoubt of the need for artificial lighting.

The areas of the department store has been earmarked for cultural programming such as exhibitions and fashion shows.

More information about the UNStudio in dezeen »

Pictured above is Kim Yong-kwan

The pictures are from Christian Richter / View unless otherwise noted.

The following information is UNStudio:

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Ben van Berkel / UNStudio Centercity Gallery in Cheonan - "If museums are becoming supermarkets, why should the big stores do not become museums?"

"The Galleria Cheonan responds to the current retail situation in Asia, where large stores also operate as social meeting places and semi-cultural. Because of this, the quality of public spaces within the building was treated as an integral aspect design. "Ben van Berkel

Pictured above is Kim Yong-kwan

Eye Shopping - Re-conquest of the public domain within a shopping destination

Centercity UNStudio Gallery stores in the Korean city of Cheonan claims the social and cultural space within the private, commercial large-scale department areas.

Rather than being the result of a prescriptive approach, ground rules, the Galleria Centercity design is based on observations of current trends in the behavior of large commercial spaces. Particularly in Southeast Asia, the stores are largely a function of social, people gather, meet, eat, drink and both store and window shopping in these places. The department store is no longer just a commercial space, which now offers architects the opportunity to leverage and extend the social and cultural experience for visitors. If today we see the museum as a supermarket, then we are also looking at the department store as a museum.

A broader interpretation services beyond the efficiency and profitability is at the center of the design. In view of this, along with a more varied UNStudio design aims to provide a stimulating experience for visitors.

Pictured above is Kim Yong-kwan

On the outside, this translates into an appearance that is almost impossible to fix. The dual-layer facades are articulated in a trompe l'oeuil pattern of the vertical. The vertical lines on the facade of the building scale illegible, "contains three floor levels, or fifteen years? Inside, this work with the scale and scope is still in a way that is at least as radical as the exterior. Upon entering, the department store space is revealed as a layered and varied which promotes research and develops as they move through and into the building.

Programming, Cheonan Galleria incorporates a number of cultural and public spaces, including an art and a cultural center and a VIP room. In the basement, a food court and supermarket are special destination other than inside the building, which is both integrated with the global design strategy.

Pictured above is Kim Yong-kwan

New Cheonan-city development as a platform for innovation

Located about 80 kilometers south of Seoul, Cheonan is well connected to the capital by train and road, with a new high-speed rail link has recently completed. The area around the terminal high speed again under development and - very visible from the main road - the Galleria Centercity marks the entrance to this area of ​​new development.

"The interesting thing for me about the effect of Cheonan Galleria is that, due to the organization of the atrium and moiré treatment of the facade, creating illusions that lead to the apparent alteration of the scales and imaging doubles. No image is permanent in this building. "Ben van Berkel

Flow dynamics and large-scale optical illusion

The main theme of architecture for the Cheonan Galleria is the dynamic flow. This is found both inside and outside. The architecture of the building of 66,000 m ² responds to its central position, looked deliberately changing versatile. moiré effects, special lighting and animations to ensure that the appearance was constantly changes.

The double-layer facade enclosing the building with a number of strategic openings incorporated into the interior facade layer. These openings provide natural light inside. At the same time, the exterior sheet to prevent direct sunlight entering the building, ensuring a cooler environment, while the use of white on the inside finish minimizes the need for artificial lighting.

The interior derives its character from the accumulation of rounded plateaus in long columns. The repetition of the curves, enhanced by the spiral strip lighting in the ceilings of the platforms, gives the interior its distinctive character. Stacked four clusters, each comprising three storeys and containing public plateaus are linked to the central vacuum. This organization promotes fluid flow upstream of the people through the building from the atrium floor to the roof. In the lands are placed on a rotating basis in the space, allowing the central area to cover to find the way, the vertical movement, guidance and act as main attraction of the department store. The spatial and visual connections in space have been designed to generate a lively and stimulating environment in which the user is essential.

front of the media - The largest illuminated surface of its kind in the world

The strategy of building the box is to create an optical illusion. During the day the building has a reflective black and white look, while light colors at night are used to generate light waves of color on the illuminated surface of a large scale. The lighting design was done in parallel with the architecture and leverages the structure of the double-layer facade. Computer-generated animations specially designed by UNStudio are incorporated into the lighting design and relate to issues related to the department store, such as fashion, events, art and public life.

Put the brand - not the brand name

Instead of creating a platform for an effect of fence consists of multiple individual brand identities, the thematic content of animating the facade of fully integrated media provides a more comprehensive urban and brand-oriented site.

UNStudio

Design Team: Ben van Berkel, Astrid Piber Gijzen with Germany, Herschel Marc and Marianthi Tatari, Sander Versluis, Albert Gnodde, Lonkwitz Jorge, Tom Minderhoud, Jae-Young Lee, Seung-June Woo, BOINC Constantin, Lin Yu-chen

Interior: Ben van Berkel, Astrid Piber with Germany Gijzen, Cristina and Veronica Bolivar Barahona, Jae-young Lee, Felix Lohrmann, Kirsten Hollmann, Albert Gnodde, Martijn Prins, Lonkwitz Joerg, Cimenti Malaica, Licht Flores, Guillermo de Boer, Eelco Grootjes Alexia Koch

EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT / SITE MONITORING / landscape architect

GANSAM and Associates Architects, Seoul, KoreaI

Pictured above is Kim Yong-kwan

An expanded interpretation of utility beyond efficiency and profitability is at the heart of the design. In view of this, along with a more varied programme, UNStudio’s design seeks to provide a stimulating experience for the visitor.




Programmatically, the Galleria Cheonan incorporates a number of cultural and public spaces, including an art and cultural centre and a vip room. In the basement, a food court and specialty supermarket constitute another distinct destination within the building, which is simultaneously integrated with the overall design strategy.

Cheonan – New city development as platform for innovation Situated some 80km south of Seoul, Cheonan is well connected to the capital by railway and road, with a new high speed rail link having recently been completed. The area around the new high speed terminal is under development and - prominently visible from the main road - the Galleria Centercity marks the entrance to this new development area.

Place branding – not name branding Rather than creating a platform for a multiple billboard effect made up of individual brand identities, the thematic animated content of the fully integrated media façade facilitates a more holistic and site-oriented urban approach to branding.

UNStudio Tower by UNStudio

Dutch architects UNStudio have completed a 21-storey office tower in their hometown of Amsterdam with colourfully glazed recesses in the facade spanning multiple floors.



Above photo by Christian Richters
The tower’s voids allow light to penetrate deeper into the communal areas of the interior and are intended to make a greater connection between the interior spaces and the external facade.


Above photo by Christian Richters
Bands of faceted aluminium cladding of various widths circle the building, controlling light penetration and sun screening to each floor.

Above photo by Inga Powilleit
The tower is one of six towers that comprise the Mahler 4 urban complex, each tower taking the name of the firm responsible for its design.

Above photo by Inga Powilleit
Here are more details from UNStudio:

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UNStudio Tower, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2004 – 2009
The recently completed 21 storey UNStudio Tower forms part of the Mahler 4 urban complex, a cluster of six buildings located in the heart of the South Axis in Amsterdam. The South Axis connects Schiphol Airport to the major business areas of Amsterdam South.

The Mahler 4 urban complex houses 38.000 m2 of residential spaces, 162.000 m2 of office space and 30.000 m2 of street level retail, cafes, restaurants and a sports centre. The six towers in the Mahler 4 complex range in height from 85 to 100 meters, with each building carrying the name of its designing firm. The Mahler 4 complex has been nominated for the FGH Real Estate Prize 2010.

At a height of 82.5 meters, the UNStudio Tower contains 20 floors of office space and a ground floor with mezzanine. The Royal Bank of Scotland currently occupies 9 floors of the building and the South entrance with commercial space on the Gustav Mahlerlaan.

Above photo by Inga Powilleit
UNStudio Tower
The façade of the UNStudio Tower plays with the juxtaposition of a horizontal and vertical articulation, conceptually relating to the principles upon which the moiré effect is based.
The horizontal articulation is provided by white, aluminium bands which wrap the tower, whilst their varying size, depth and transparency ensure the correct balance of sun screening and light penetration to the interiors on all levels of the building.
Vertical accents are formed by voids, recessed into each face of the building and spanning differing numbers of floors. These voids serve to create an inside-outside relationship which extends the façade envelope and turns the surface of the tower into an active medium with a profound effect on the quality of the interior user space.

Click for larger image
Ben van Berkel: “In the design for the tower it was important for us to create a connection between the façade and the interior spaces; to see the building as whole, almost like a piece of furniture.”
Custom coloured glass panes are incorporated into the vertical voids, offering different identities and light qualities to the communal spaces which surround each void in the interior. These voids further facilitate daylight penetration deep into the extensive 40m x 40m floors.
Voids are often placed at the center of a building, but here they are placed at the perimeters. This has three major advantages:
The voids are easily transformed into (internal and external) balconies
The usable floor space is larger and can be planned more flexibly. The depth of the floors further ensures a high façade to gross floor ratio, whilst the building as whole has a 90% net to gross ratio.
The quality of the void spaces is affected by their location. Instead of public circulation space, these voids offer space for small meetings or personal reflection.

User experience

Whereas conventional office buildings with their strict separation of inside and outside can be experienced as somewhat confining by contemporary office workers, the transparency of the primarily glass façade, in combination with the vertical voids, offers the user a gradient experience of the inside-outside condition, as well as the perception of an open and light interior. The outdoor spaces which are incorporated into the recessed voids in the form of roofed balconies allow for transition from inside to outside during free time or breaks. In addition, a roof terrace with a sky view towards Amsterdam Old South can be accessed for larger outdoor gatherings.

Attaining sustainability

UNStudio sees sustainable design as an integral aspect of contemporary architecture. Sustainable solutions are not treated as add-ons, but related to each and every building element.
In the design for the UNStudio Tower integrated sustainable solutions include:
Materials: the reduction of replacement frequency through the use of high quality durable materials and equipment throughout the building, along with the incorporation of a lightweight frame (resulting is less construction material usage in the foundations).

Climate: the façade design incorporates sustainable considerations with respect to orientation, with lamellas of differing heights, widths and depths controlling both direct sunlight penetration and noise pollution to each face and level of the building.

Thermal glazing allows for sufficient daylight, whilst reducing direct sunlight.
Energy saving installations: an underground energy storage system reduces energy usage by 30 to 35.7%. Energy efficient fixtures with motion sensors further control lighting level differentiation and thermal comfort. Sanitary installations include water saving cisterns and grey water usage.
Incorporating flexibility

Flexibility with respect to future change of use with an ambition towards minimum alteration was paramount in the design of the UNStudio Tower. Extensive research was carried out in collaboration with the client in order to determine where maximum flexibility could be incorporated into the design from the outset. As a result, the floor plans of the UNStudio Tower incorporate the potential for future residential use with no structural alteration required.

The vertical voids recessed into the façade of the building also offer the potential to be transformed into individual balconies on each floor for residential use in the future. The façade design further incorporates a system whereby the glass panes can be replaced with minimum intervention should a change of use become desirable.

Ben van Berkel: “A grid system was introduced into the UNStudio Tower which creates flexibility with a view to potential change of use in the future. There are currently many empty office buildings in Europe which cannot so easily be transformed, but the UNStudio Tower is designed in such a way that it could also one day be turned into housing. This provides an essential sustainable flexibility to the building.”