Burdifilek, a firm renowned for creating beautiful and considered spaces for global brands, is proud to unveil its visionary, multi-level design of The Hyundai Seoul, the largest department store in South Korea’s capital city. The retail landmark is part of a multi-use complex combining business, shopping, and leisure in a single destination.

The Hyundai Seoul introduces a new concept in shopping environments while forging a history by redefining the future of retail. Design elements, includes abundant greenery, expansive floorplates, and a Waterfall Garden, all contributing to a memorable relaxed customer experiences set against a backdrop of avant-garde fashion and visually stimulating contemporary design elements.

Tranquility by design

Burdifilek was commissioned to design three floors of the department store, including the Zen-like ambiance of the atrium. The soothing elements of the atrium are visible from all levels of the department store, nourished by abundant natural light drawn in through a skylight extending through the core of the building. Leveraging the building’s unique architecture with multiple voids throughout, Burdifilek conceptualized a green belt that would wrap around the spaces and provide continuity to an overall theme of tranquility and well-being. Taking cues from the grand piazza, the green belt becomes a runway for everyday life activities from social interactions to art displays, pop-up stages and inspiring encounters.

One begins their journey with an auditory sensation of a cascading waterfall. A gravity defying 12-meter-tall sculptural waterfall stands prominently in the main atrium, surrounded by organically shaped floating islands. The calming Waterfall Garden cascades through dancing water features with seating extending from its fluid forms.

The concept of nature is carried forward with reflective borders that mimic tranquil water patterns along the inner edges of the ceiling planes, creating the visual effect of glancing up at a reflecting pond.

Interpreting a new language 

In conceptualizing the totality of each floor, Burdifilek drew upon its experience and expertise to perfect the details of each individual element to create a branded environment that is strengthened by the sum of its parts. From floors, to walls, ceilings, furnishings, fixtures, and materiality, each floor presents its own dialect of experiences and visual display elements, all tailored to the style of merchandise and the lifestyle trends of those most apt to shop there.

An experiential palette 

Second floor: Sculpture Garden

On the second floor, Burdifilek’s interpretation of the future home for women’s high-end fashion is at the heart of elegance and timeless luxury. Anchored by iconic forms, with an emphasis on textures and sculptural tonality, the floor offers a gallery-like space for one to meander and explore. Use of gentle, indirect lighting accentuates fluid forms on the ceiling to radiate an ethereal quality. Custom hanging fixtures with refined detail elevates the feeling of lightness while providing a cohesive language for curated brands to shine. A combination of a subdued color palette with layers of reflectivity and translucency further boosts the sophisticated atmosphere.

Third Floor: Provocative Wilderness

In Contrast, on the third floor, the designers swiftly change up the mood and invites one to another world. Expanding on the concept of nature and the sculptural garden, this level takes on the abstract form of a blooming. While maintaining a degree of commonality with the second floor in terms of sculptural elements, this floor expresses them in bolder form, amidst a creative backdrop of shocking deep blue hanging systems, aggressive materiality with an emphasis on the contrast of natural and man-made materials, unfinished ceiling, custom built, vacuum-formed sculptural walls and a simple color palette that speaks more directly to the featured brands. In this modern retail emporium, the worlds of art, design and fashion collide to create a cultural experience that transcends beyond a mere shopping experience.

Perspectives 

In approaching this ambitious project, Burdifilek’s vision was to create a strong point of view that would be memorable for the end user. In veering away from global retail trends, the firm designed the floors of The Hyundai Seoul to be easily approachable, while providing visionary design elements and color palettes that are both inspirational and aspirational. The project transcends traditional retail philosophy to offer a unique perspective on how common experiences like shopping can be greatly enhanced, and its successful completion reinforces Burdifilek’s reputation as an internationally renowned custom design studio.

The post Hyundai Seoul was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

From fluid promenade to pragmatic functionality, the project involves the rehabilitation of a Montreal cottage orchestrating a sculptural experience with an architectural dimension. Interfering in the daily life of a couple of young professionals, a system, both simple and complex, multiplies geometric interweavings and visual breakthroughs to reveal a home in the image of its owners.

Focusing as much on compactness as on organizational interrelationships, the development of the architectural system requires its users to scrutinize their habits, and question the needs related to their daily life. In this process of collaborative creation, the owners adopt the playful approach of the architects with enthusiasm, humor, and sensitivity in order to specify the character identity of the project.

Playing with positive and negative spaces, the proposal articulates a crystallization fragmenting the volumetric entity by a physical and visual permeability, altering the perceptions of dimensioning. Opting for the subtraction of floor areas in favor of spatial qualities, volumes and interstices compose a domestic ecosystem of rows and vis-à-vis. Livened up by the constant variability of color shades, enlivened by the seasons and the natural light coming from the garden adjoining the living space, the MB project manifests the expression of these external parameters on its unifying monomateriality. Associated with its urban context and the flow of dynamic interactions generated by its internal conditions, including the movements of users and their way of living, a rhythmic versatility stands out in contrast to the geometric rigor of the assemblage.

Beyond the amalgamation of domestic functions, MB proposes an intervention multiplying interrelationships to enhance the movement through a parcours revealing its spatial polysemy. From archetype to abstraction, space is transformed. From an organizational matrix to a discovery game, MB presents a place participating in the active life of its neighborhood, while generating an enveloping family haunt.

The post Cottage Redesign in Montreal was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Are there any new architectural space prototypes that can be discussed? This is the starting point of this experimental project. This space experiment is located near the river in the tourist area of Jiangxin Island in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. In this project, architects give up the consideration of functional elements and start to look for keywords that can define spatial elements in the environment.

After analyzing the site, the design focuses on three keywords: ergonomics, Proxemics, and Behaviorology. The scale of human behavior is one of the concerns of this project. Research on the behavior of different people is a very good design resource for architects. By observing and understanding the behavior of people, designers can discover all kinds of possibilities of space.

Proxemics is a concept developed by Columbia University anthropologist, Edward T Hall, in his book, Hidden Scales. In this project, architects deepen and extend the concept, applying it to the category of physical space, discussing how intimate space, private space, social space, and public space are defined and designed at different scales.

Speaking of behavior, from the perspective of architects Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima, human, nature, and architecture are discussed as a whole, because the study of this case does not involve the category of urban daily life pattern. Therefore, the Behaviorology of various elements in the natural environment was studied and explored. Breeze, sunshine, the sound of waves, drizzle, sweet osmanthus fragrance, affecting feelings, perceptions, touch, hearing, visual elements, are the materials of our design. Through keyword research, architects began to create new forms of space in response to the various design elements surrounding it.

Human behavior, such as sitting, squatting, lying down, meditating, listening, peeping, wandering, overlooking, and even staring, is the form of space. The act of light, the rising of the sun, the setting of the sun, the passing of the last light, the coming of the lamp, the illumination, is a dialogue between space and time. The surrounding environment, sea breeze brushing, leaves rustling, frogs chirping, cicadas singing, is the medium of dialogue between people and space.

LIN Architects

LIN Architects

The post Wood Pavilion #1 in Zhenjiang was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Chemin des Carrières, the Quarries’ Track, is a lace undulating in the landscape, an invitation to travel as our ambition behind the reconquest of the Rosheim-St Nabor railway in Alsace, France. Ominous, sometimes hidden, the vestiges of the railway still mark the reading of the site. The desire to create a route to serve the quarries had to adapt to the undulating landscapes of the sub-Vosges hills and the very form of the tracing tells the history of the landscape and the men. The journey to discover forgotten landscapes or to take a different view on everyday landscapes is addressed to both local users and tourists. Like the old track that offered a dual function (industrial and passenger transport), the route has a double vocation where the functional must rub shoulders with the imaginary of travel. Along the 11km path goes a story, which the stops split into five chapters of different sequences of landscapes offering varied universes and highlighting remarkable sites. Unusual elements punctuate the way, aiming at awakening the visitor’s senses, and water is encountered repeatedly.

Rosheim tells the story of the past. Realized by intertwined circles in Corten steel, the pavilion has a labyrinthine character and play with irregular concave and convex interiors, which the visitors are free to roam. The train tracks are conserved in that area, benches are built, and openings are created to open or close the sculpture to chosen views of the surrounding landscape allowing for viewing, seating – reflexion and contemplation. 

Boersch tells the story of water. The river, which historically allowed connection to the world and tells about the true cleanliness of a place. It is a dynamic element in the landscape, running to the ocean. We enlarge the riverbed and build a large open space amphitheater to access the water.

Leonardsau tells the story of the land. After a long green tunnel, two large corten steel plates amplify the opening effect at the end of the forest corridor to the open landscape, embodying a gate and opening a perspective towards Mont St-Odile, which develops the idea of discovery. Ottrott tells the story of travel. Former train station, the stop materializes the history of the railway and highlight the presence of the heritage (balance, bridge, crane, pump…). In a fabric of housing buildings, the reservoir, symbolizing water, and concrete crossings connect housing to historical elements and landscape.

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter

Florent Michel @11h45

The post Chemin des Carrières was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Inspired by the client’s love of all things Italian, Glorietta is a bar and 220-seat restaurant in Sydney designed to shape a corporate precinct into an agricultural ancestry and tone, all within the building’s pre-established constraints. As the podium tenant, void of history and restricted by poor street visibility, Glorietta involved the challenging transformation of a stark, voluminous, glass box within a new landmark tower.

Due to Glorietta’s elevated position, civic scale, and commercial character, the buildings tenancy had no sympathetically inherent texture or softness, no history, and no context on which to draw the design concept from. Faced with a blank canvas and multiple challenges in building an inviting, friendly intimacy and warmth, the team set about crafting a design beneficial to patrons, floor staff, and the wider local community.

The client was keen to deconstruct the vast, open, and commercial space into separate, more intimate zones to encourage various functionalities and dining options. A key challenge presented itself in the form of the space being void of any existing character; to counterbalance this, zoning was achieved by applying a range of floor treatments to contain each space. From polished concrete around the bar and northern dining areas to timber boards in the central dining space and concrete slabs surrounding the kitchen, each variation in materials helped to distinguish the separate zones – as well as build personality and interest. The large scale, volume, view, and elevated floor area also became advantages to creating theatre and spatial uniqueness throughout the venue.

In support of this, the clever use of five different seating options further established each zone. From the high timber tables and stools at the bar, long communal tables and the built-in olive-green leather banquettes, rust-red-toned tables, and individual bentwood chairs. Varied seating options offer intimacy and choice depending on patrons dining and drinking needs.

A visible, traditional pizza oven and open kitchen capture the energy of a classic Italian restaurant and the theatrics that accompany this. A dining counter and bar ribbon the entry – which not only frames the entry but adds to the atmosphere and visual intrigue. A central bar was strategically positioned for maximum street visibility ​and to contain the venue’s footprint, scale, and proportion.

An earthy, organic, and warm palette was achieved via the careful selection of contemporary, yet durable, furnishings and fittings. Tonally gentle design elements soften the space. Recycled timber, olive​ and apricot leathers and tiling, rust-red tables, brass, creams, and wheat-colored​ linen curtains encircle the venue, while a vaulted rattan ‘cloudscape’ obscures the impact of the silver ceiling panels and offers yet another layer of warmth and natural texture to the space.

Sustainability played an important role too, materials were kept to a minimum, all-natural, designed for longevity, and sustainably harvested where possible. An ingenious, vaulted ‘cloud sky’ of woven rattan covers the majority of the ceiling, providing additional warmth and organic shape while enclosing the whole restaurant by lowering the room-scale and warming the lighting. Rattan is one of the fastest renewable tropical woods available and is manufactured in low-tech non-polluting facilities.

Within Glorietta, beauty and sustainability collide with the salvaging and application of materials. Reclaimed hardwoods feature as bar cladding, with old stone slabs salvaged by the builder used as kitchen surround flooring. In a final, decorative flourish, a round Art Deco-inspired family table with sentimental value was inserted as a corner feature. In an innovative sense, Glorietta’s story is a social one that highlights the effectiveness of combining clever interior design practices within a venue’s surrounding context.

Alexander & CO

Anson Smart

The post Glorietta was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

In the historic center of a well-preserved village, opposite the church, a wine barn and its adjoining house were to be restructured in order to create an intimate and special living environment.

Features of heritage and prestige remained in the existing house: the stone staircase, the cement tiles, and the wooden roof framing, while the barn’s large volume and minimalist forms have turned into an open-plan and fluid living space, opening right up to the exterior through a square patio at the rear.

The existing house space is given over to the bedrooms, whereas the old wine barn welcomes the everyday family life activities. The archetypal barn form, all in one long structure, successively provides the kitchen, living room, and large table leading out onto the patio and the swimming pool. The position of the pool, adjoining the building, creates various atmospheres for each moment of life, allowing to experience the seasonal rhythms throughout the natural vibrations of air and matter.

On the outside, part of the roof of the original barn was removed to design the open-air patio. The composition of this space – within four walls – echoes the Mediterranean lifestyle. Furthermore, the choice was made to keep one of the gable stone walls of the barn, a vestige of the past, to ensure the thermal efficiency of the building. The limestone retains the right humidity level throughout the night, especially in summer, keeping the place cool and pleasant to use.

The patio also features half of the lap pool. The “half-pool half-patio” pattern gives this water slice its fundamental posture: it is the pivot of the overall outdoor composition and connects it with the indoors.

The three dimensions of architecture, history, and technicity are in dialogue and this project writes a “tailor-made” narrative in each and every detail, giving the place its own unique spirit.

(ma!ca) architecture

Julien Kerdraon

The post House in a City Center was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Located in a flood zone along the shore of Lake Saint-Louis, in the outskirts of Montreal, the Langlois-Lessard Residence is a direct response to the questions raised by the site. Those include the integration of architecture into an exceptional natural environment and the definition of the house’s spatiality, volume and fabric in relation to the site itself.

To preserve the pristine beauty of the site and its many mature trees, the architects prescribed a compact footprint, keeping the pool attached to the house behind a low horizontal wall of natural stone, that provides privacy. Only seven percent of the site is built. Oriented towards impressive views and sunsets, the residence is situated near the water, creating the impression from within that the interior spaces are extending into the lake.

Both the exceptional quality of the landscape and the orientation of the site guided the general planning of living spaces on both floors. As the project evolved, specific architectural elements defined the spatial identity of the house. An open fireplace is situated on the axis of the main entrance, at the heart of the volume, while service blocks detached from the exterior walls flank its sides, creating subtle sculptural volumes. Both floors are characterized by remarkable spatial openness, yet they are connected through a very narrow, minimalist staircase. Given the water’s proximity and the elusive nature of the horizon beyond, the ground floor was kept under a low ceiling without any double heights, in order to reinforce the view towards the horizon. Inversely, on the second floor, the bedrooms enjoy interesting angular ceilings that generate a play of light and shadow.

The volumetric design of the house relies on two principles: Providing the owners with privacy and reacting to the strong western winds. The relatively opaque stone base ensures intimacy by stretching along the pool and establishing an artificial horizon, upon which the upper volume lies. The latter is displaced to form a covered terrace on the pool side, protected from the sun. The roof is shifted and angled in response to the surrounding natural environment.

The selection of natural textures comes as a response to the landscape and to the architectural character of the nearby town of Léry. Coarsely shaped natural limestone, textured concrete and wood siding integrate the house with the natural tones of the site, which is characterized by the barks of the trees, the neighboring houses’ wood siding, stone walls and other retaining walls on the waterfront, constructed of concrete block. Inside, the polished concrete floor and concrete fireplace dominate the material palette while the furniture softens and adds to the tone on tone effect. The neutral palette allows the surrounding landscape and its shifting seasonal expressions to dominate the interior.

Chevalier Morales Architects

The post Langlois-Lessard Residence was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.