An open-air shopping mall, Seoul, South Korea

The architectural studio Heatherwick recently won the competition for the refurb design of a luxury shopping centre in the city of Seoul, organised by the Metropolitan Government of the capital of South Korea. It is the well-known Hanwha Galleria, located in the Apgujeong-dong district, which is considered to be the wealthiest in the country. The competition required the project to move away from the conventional proposals we are used to in terms of shopping centres. Heatherwick’s architects’ proposal certainly meets that requirement.

‘Traditionally, department stores are quite inward-facing, they feel closed off to the surrounding streets,’ said Neil Hubbard, partner at Heatherwick architectural studio and head of the Hanwha Galleria design team. Indeed, the concept for the new luxury shopping centre takes a diametrically opposed approach to the prospect. First of all, Hanwha Galleria consists of two twin buildings that are connected underground by a subway. Therefore, the new façades of the large area open outwards like flowers do.

These flowers, rising and unfurling like petals on what is nothing more than a glass façade, provide multiple viewpoints and reflections of the city. The crystalline glass exterior glows during the day, while at night, it comes to life as a backdrop for luminous projections in full view of all citizens.

Moreover, in another sign of the project’s openness to the outdoors, the proposal strives to make the spaces within it public and accessible to everyone, ‘whether they are shopping at the mall or simply enjoying the area’. Nature, plants, trees and landscaped areas, both on the rooftop and in between, are central to Heatherwick architectural studio’s design. Hubber concludes: ‘We wanted to provide a strong overall silhouette that creates a gateway, but also gives Seoulites new garden-like spaces to meet, shop and enjoy their city’. Incidentally, the architects claim that the buildings resemble undulating hourglasses. That’s right, but they also look like flowers, don’t they?

If you want to see the project in motion, here’s the video posted by Heatherwick: