Our Project Gangnam A5 Housing block in Seoul, South-Korea, has won the prestigious Korean Architecture Award [KAA] in the category of collective housing. The Korean Architecture Award is the most important architecture award in Korea. The building complex in the hills south of Seoul represents a combination of Dutch housing tradition with the Korean cultural context. The neighbourhood was designed by architect Frits van Dongen and is therefore unique for Korean standards in residential architecture.
The urban plan is based on the topography of the landscape of the site, an ensemble of a new typology called ‘Tower Block Hybrids’, public roads and private inner courtyards. The collective courtyards are inter-connected in a car free zone which enables an attractive living environment that stimulates informal encounters between residents. The Tower-Block Hybrids are positioned in such a way that sunlight can penetrate deep in the courtyards and views of the surrounding landscape are optimized.
Photo © Kim Myoung Sik