Beauty on the inside and out

Korea's biggest beauty company has opened its new headquarters in the heart of Seoul - providing an innovative building incorporating openings which allow employees to connect with nature and the building's exterior surroundings.

Amorepacific's building, designed by Berlin’s David Chipperfield Architects, was completed last year.  SeoAhn were the landscape architects.

Fourth floor courtyard with water feature. Photo Credit - Noshe

Three facades of the cube-shaped structure include voids which open up to the surrounding city, with glass balustrades providing uninterrupted views of the skyline and mountains in the distance. These voids create ‘hanging gardens,’ as they are filled with trees, plants and shallow pools of water, giving recreational space to those who use the building.    

The trees used are identical to those surrounding the building, both adding a sense of bringing the outside in, and linking the design aesthetically.

The view from the roof garden on the 16th floor. Photo credit: David Chipperfield Architects.

The headquarters are also developed around a central courtyard in order to maximise light and ventilation.

The architects say Amorepacific has occupied the site since the '50s.  It's next to a former US military zone which is being turned into a public park and business district - part of a masterplan which is substantially changing the district.

The building in its' urban context. Photo credit - Noshe.

Project Details

Date: 2010-2017

Gross floor area: 216,000 m²

Client: Amorepacific Corporation

Architect: David Chipperfield Architects Berlin

Partner: David Chipperfield, Christoph Felger (Design lead), Harald Müller

Project architect: Hans Krause

Executive architect: HAEAHN Architecture, KESSON

Site supervision: Kunwon Engineeing Co. Ltd.

General contractor: Hyundai Engineering & Construction

Design engineers: Arup Deutschland GmbH

Signage: L2M3 communication design

Landscape architect: SeoAhn