NL architects morphs containers to create kiosks at seoul's dongdaemun plaza

NL architects morphs containers to create kiosks at seoul’s dongdaemun plaza
all images courtesy of NL architects

to catalyze an already vibrant public area – the spaces surrounding the zaha hadid-designed dongdaemun design plaza in seoul, south korea – ten studios have been invited to conceive kiosk structures to house various activities. included in this group is the dutch office NL architects, whose approach morphs the basic shipping container type through a range of diverse operations to provide increased functionality and specificity. after designing a large ‘extended family’ of deformed corrugated-metal clad volumes, two have been selected for realization, with an expected opening of october 18, 2014 for the beginning of the seoul architecture festival.

a tall and skylit kiosk structure will serve as exhibition space with doors to open on all sides

the public spaces surrounding the sinuous cultural center are supervised by architect young joon kim, of studio yo2, who initiated the development of 30 kiosks to house exhibitions, commercial activity, information centers, and surveillance rooms. however, the mini buildings have been envisioned to serve other purposes, such as fostering interaction and play or providing places for relaxation.

another container kiosks to be realized will house an information booth

partnered with seungsoo shin / design group OZ, NL architects will be contributing two structures to the park of kiosks. the first of which is a vertically-oriented and skylit exhibition space, which featurs swinging display doors on all sides to increase its functional flexibility. the second, oriented horizontally, opens on one side to house an information booth, while pinching toward the ground on its back end to create a seating area and sloped landscape.

the info kiosk’s back side has been pinched downward and widened to create a place for public seating

the envisioned family of kiosks includes a basketball hoop above a ticket office

the kebab stand iteration pinches at its middle to create a seating area

a cut-away section shows the potential for storage use in the back of the info booth

the exhibition kiosk will display a range of products or art

while the functional gains seem to be the most significant influence on the formal strategy, the language of twists, bends, and bulges additionally relates the structures with the fluid zaha hadid building, and renders the typically rigid form of the shipping container into a pliable and soft object.

the zaha hadid-designed building contains a fashion design information center with convention and exhibition halls
image courtesy of dongdaemun design park / seoul design foundation
see designboom’s coverage on the dongdaemun design park here

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project info:

location: dongdaemun design plaza, seoul, korea
date: opens october 18, 2014
coordinator / curator: young joon kim
NL architects: pieter bannenberg, walter van dijk, kamiel klaasse
team: gen yamamoto with jose ramon vives and eke hoekstra, laura riano
local architect: seungsoo shin, design group OZ