Materializing Light

SBS 프리즘 타워

Year of Completion: 2012

Location: Seoul Korea

Client: SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System)

The 18-story building is located in Digital Media City, toward the northwest end of Seoul, where the Seoul Metropolitan Government solicited media related companies to move in or build new headquarters. The scope of the work covers an area of 7850sq. ft on the ground level, and 2690sq.ft on the 10th floor for an interior garden. The site on the ground level envelops three sides of the building. The linear strip facing the north which is situated between the lobby and the existing civic plaza is the central space. its adjacency to the building inspired PARKKIM to make a comprehensive solution to various functional issues including drainage and concealment of dry areas. The biggest issue was the lack of sunlight. Since the lobby faces the north, there already had been architectural efforts to brighten up the space such as installing a glass curtain wall from floor to ceiling. There was also a concern about the huge hard surface of the existing plaza pitched toward the building, which could potentially result in flooding in the lobby during the heavy summer rains.

The main design strategies for the ground level and 10th floor were to make the space feel brighter and wider. First, we selected reflective materials for paving and other facilities to make maximum use of the sunlight and to minimize the need of artificial lighting during the daytime. Second, an ‘outside-in’ strategy was applied, which visually enlarges both the outside and inside of the glass curtain wall, by extending some of the landscape elements into the lobby.

Aluminum and stainless steel were chosen for their reflective materiality as well as sleekness. They also proved to be pertinent to various programs such as pedestrian passages, shrub planters, green walls, water features and coverings of dry areas.

The linear and narrow space between the lobby and the plaza was defined as Podium and decked with aluminum profiles. Since there was no fabricator of such material in Korea, we collaborated with a cruise ship interior company specializing in aluminum. The interval between each profile is 5mm: a gap narrow enough so that stiletto heels would not be stuck, while allowing drainage and ventilation through the porous surface to function perfectly. Its dented top prevents pedestrians from slipping in snowy or rainy weather. Most of all, the Podium delivers daylight to the lobby by reflection and saves energy for lighting.

A Streamlet and Pin Oaks delineate the edge of the property. The black stainless steel of the streambed was folded into wrinkles, not only to make the water stream riffle when it flows down, but also to maintain an attractive texture during winter when there is no water stream. During heavy rainstorms, water flowing from the plaza will initially be absorbed into the plating bed and any amount of excess water will flow into the streamlet to prevent floods into the building.

The Green Media wall is a part of the display of  media arts on the exterior of the building. Even when the green leaves wither, the super-mirror cladding with seven different angles reflects daylight, creating an interesting illumination. Ivies are planted in individual pots and placed in the linear metal planter for easy maintenance and a very simple drainage system is devised so that all the water eventually gathers into a drain hole on the ground.

The Interior Forest on the 10th floor is enveloped with a number of meeting rooms and is designed to accommodate an accessible resting place. In order to provide the experience of walking in the woods, we tried to secure the maximum soil depth by working with the structural engineers who helped us allocate the soil in the right places to balance the weight. To alleviate the lack of daylight within the atrium, a glittering effect was added into the paving: stainless steel pipes cut into 4″ length were laid out first on the mounding and the soil mixture of clay, cement and black pigment were poured on top. After the mixture was dried and cured, the surface was grinded and became a steel clay knoll.

An outside-in strategy visually widening both interior and exterior spaces was realized by extending the shrub plantings and water features. Twelve Shrub Bouquets—shrubs planted in steel confines—brings a dynamic feel to the pathway and resting places, and the sculpted stainless-steel edgings sitting on the aluminum deck conceals the untidy lower parts of shrubs. Three of these bouquets visually penetrate the glass curtain wall so the interior space and landscape feel integrated. The evergreen Borealis sasa planted in the bouquets will sustain the greenness of the lobby all year long. Despite their connected appearance, those planted inside have a different drainage system and soil depth from the exterior shrubs: the drainage of the interior shrubs flow into the architectural drain pipes underground, while the exterior shrubs are planted on natural ground.

Two water features at the front and rear entrance are also closely related with the interior programs. The Mirror Pond is in front of the transparent elevator while the media poles outside of the building project reflections on the pond. The pond is designed to contain water, without any edging, by a slight pitching towards the center of the pond, so it would not be a visual and physical obstacle when water is drained during winter.

The Overflow Pond behind the building was designed to make the water look as if it is flowing from within to the outside. Along with the extended wooden decks and the Shrub Bouquets, the water features help the lobby stretch out towards the landscape.

In the lobby, the space is filled with soft light without any help of artificial lighting during daytime. Reflective materials help reduce energy consumption without being overly bright.

Even though the ground level was adjusted to flush with FFE, the porosity of the aluminum decking and the waterway of the edges proved to be effective in preventing floods over the two summers passed.