THE HANWHA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

Information and pictures courtesy of: unstudio The design submitted by unstudio came out on top as the best option in the competition to renovate the hanwha headquarters building in seoul. The hanwha group, which is the third biggest photovoltaic manufacturer in the world, wanted its headquarters building to represent the company’s vision and purpose. This strategic focus was placed on renewable energy as the company’s future development engine. The remodelling was done by unstudio, arup was the sustainability and facade consultant, loos van vliet was the landscape designer, and aglicht joined as the lighting consultant for the interior, landscape, and facade lighting. The competition’s winning entry also has loos van vliet as the landscape designer. The 57,696 square meter headquarters building will be redesigned from top to bottom, including the front, the interior of the common spaces, lobbies, meeting levels, and auditorium and executive rooms, as well as the landscaping. It will be situated on the cheonggyecheon in seoul. The design is informed by the natural world and is driven by the environment, with an integrated responsive façade as the primary distinguishing feature. This facade works to enhance the inside climate of the existing building and responds to both the program distribution and the location. Horizontal bands of opaque paneling and single layers of dark glass may be seen on the existing facade. As part of the renovation, this will be removed and replaced with transparent insulated glass and frame made of aluminum in order to emphasize the vistas and the sunshine. The geometry of the frame, including its pattern, size, and reveal, is further influenced by the sun and the direction of the building in order to maximize the user’s comfort inside and minimize energy use. The building’s north facade is open, which lets natural light into the inside, while the south facade is more opaque. This is because the south front faces the sun, which would otherwise have an excessive effect on the amount of heat the building generates. The apertures in the facade have another connection to the views: they widen out where there is potential for a view, while they narrow down and become more compact on the side that is next to the adjoining buildings. Additionally, shading reduces the direct solar influence on the structure. This is accomplished by angling the glass away from direct sunlight. However, the top half of the south face is inclined to receive direct sunlight. The window-to-wall ratio is taken into consideration in order to achieve a level of transparency across the entire facade that is equal to or greater than 55 percent. Meanwhile, photovoltaic cells are installed on the opaque panels that are located on the south and southeast facades at open zones where there is an optimal amount of direct sunlight. Additionally, photovoltaic (pv) panels are oriented in the sections of the façade that have the most potential for harvesting energy from the sun. The goal of the facade expression is to provide an impression that is varied, uneven, and intricate across the façade. This is the foundation for the facade expression. This is accomplished by combining, in a straightforward manner, a system of components that are scaled on many dimensions. In addition, this is guided by the program. As a result of modifying the location of the facade panels, a range of openings that are relevant to the program are formed. As a consequence of this, the restaurant, the executive chamber, the sky gardens, the seminar rooms, and so on are all expressed in the façade of the building. Animated façade lighting is an additional feature that contributes to this effect. In the evening, when the building’s bulk is less noticeable, the facade lighting blends with the night sky, creating gradually moving light constellations. This effect is only visible when the structure is lit up. Please visit globalhop.indiaartndesign.com in order to see the photographs.