Galleria in Gwanggyo

Gwanggyo, Zuid Korea

Photo © Hong Sung Jun, courtesy of OMA

Model Maker: Edelsmid Emile Estourgie with Yasuhito Hirose and Made by Mistake, RJ Models; Model Photographer: Frans Parthesius

Photo © OMA

Visualization © OMA

Drawing © OMA

Winkels + Handel

Architecten: OMA - Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Locatie: Gwanggyo, Zuid Korea
Jaar: 2020
Klant: Hanwha Galleria
Team: Chris van Duijn (Partner in Charge), Ravi Kamisetti (Associate), Patrizia Zobernig (Project Leader), Mark Bavoso, Alan Lau, James Lee, Slobodan Radoman, Tianyu Su, John Thurtle, Ikki Kondo, Daan Ooievaar, Nils Axen, Simon Bastien, Tommaso Bernabo, Minjung Cho, Felicia Gambino, Nicola Ho, Meng Huang, Zhenke Jin, Richard Leung, Ioana Pricop, Junsik Oh, Calvin Yue

The Galleria is Korea’s first and largest upscale department store franchise founded in the 1970s, and has remained at the forefront of the premium retail market in the country since then. The store in Gwanggyo—a new town just south of Seoul—is the sixth branch of Galleria. Located at the center of this young urban development surrounded by tall residential towers, the Galleria’s stone-like appearance makes it a natural point of gravity for public life in Gwanggyo.

The store is located between the Suwon Gwanggyo Lake Park and ubiquitous buildings in the city: an intersection between nature and the urban environment. The store has a textured mosaic stone façade that evokes nature of the neighbouring park. Appearing as a sculpted stone emerging from the ground, the store is a visual anchor in the city.

The public route has a multifaceted glass façade that contrasts with the opacity of the stone. Through the glass, retail and cultural activities inside are revealed to the city’s passers-by, while visitors in the interior acquire new vantage points to experience Gwanggyo. Formed with a sequence of cascading terraces, the public loop offers spaces for exhibitions and performances.

A place where retail and culture, city and nature collide, Galleria in Gwanggyo offers a get away from the predictability of shopping.