Haeundae Udong Hyundai I' Park

Busan, South Korea

The concept of the Haeundae Udong project is to build a powerful and unique icon expressed in a dynamic volume on the Busan waterfront. Studio Daniel Libeskind will produce five new towers sculpted to express the dramatic beauty and power of the ocean. The curvilinear geometry of the buildings plays with concepts of traditional Korean architecture, often derived from natural beauty such as the grace of an ocean wave, the unique composition of a flower petal, or the wind-filled sails of a ship.

Sculptural in form, the Haeundae Udong development creates a new icon for the city of Busan. The buildings radiate a new spirit for condominium living within a vibrant mixed-use development. The space which the buildings create is meant to enhance the life of its inhabitants both inside and outside. The sculpted forms of the composition, read against the city of Busan, create an iconic whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The Haeundae Udong project not only celebrates those who live within it, but offers many exciting new perspectives and city contexts for Busan. The development becomes a spatial entity that is beautiful from the multiple vistas from inside and out. The apartments take advantage of the site by maximizing the sweeping views of the ocean, the marina, the mountains, the Gwang-An bridge and the city of Busan.

To create the iconic image of the project, Haeundae Udong has carved out its own skyline, an imprint on the city as a whole. Instead of simply extruding the building footprints, the heights are varied and the profiles tapered to create a sculptural composition on the horizon. This strategy gives the project and the city of Busan a new, iconic image while also bringing the most light possible into the developments beyond the site. The Haeundae Udong project sits gracefully on the Busan Waterfront, having breaken down the mass of the buildings to give them a slender and elegant skyline appearance. In addition, the varied, sculptural forms create exciting spaces between the buildings, inviting residents and visitors to enjoy a unique outdoor experience.

The image is created not only from the shape of the individual buildings but by the placement of the buildings on the site. The design aims to take advantage of the shape of the site to provide the most desirable apartments with south-west facing views along the edge of the site, creating a clear definition of public and private space.

The placement of the towers also allows for a generous park to be developed within the site. The towers will ring a beautifully landscaped park that will provide a spectacular open space for the residents as well as the visitors to the site and to the city of Busan. To maximize the park space and openness of the landscape, some of the non-residential program could be integrated into the park space.

The development is composed of three residential towers, an office building, a hotel, convention center and sport facility, all of which are articulated in the specific architectural language developed for the site. The development as a whole must be a 21st Century space createing a new image for HDC and a new vision of residential living in Korea.

Haeundae Udong Hyundai I'Park

Commission: 2006Completion: 2011

Client: Hyundai Development Company

Building Address: Haeundae Udong 1408 Busan, South Korea

Technical Details:

Building Area: 4.5 Million sq.ft.

Building details: 3 residential towers w/ 1631 units (72F, 66F, 46F)

1 hotel (34F)

1 office (9F)

1 retail (3F)

Structure: Concrete structure with glass curtain wall cladding

Credits:

Principal Architect: Carla Swickerath

Design Team: Seungki Min, Ching-Wen Lin, Byungdon Yoo, Joy Cardillo, Kee Lew, Sarah Nichols, Jared Olmsted, Ian Gordon, Jan Kaluza, Injune Kim, Naser Madouh, Gerhard Brun, Jean-Lucien Gay, Emily Wells, Taek Kim

Architect of Record: Kunwon, Hanmi

Structural Engineer: ARUP, Dong Yang Structural Engineers Co.

MEP Engineer: SYSKA Hennessy, Hyun Woo

Geotechnical Engineer: Saegil E & C Co. Landscape Consultant: Ctopos

Curtain Wall Consultant: Wallplus Fire Protection Consultant: Yung-Do Engineering Co.

Lighting Consultant: LPA

Contractor: Hyundai Development Company