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Architects: COM
- Area: 11588 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Mihyun Son
Transforming Hospitality into Home - Mangrove Dongdaemun, once a conventional business hotel, has undergone a remarkable transformation into a vibrant co-living community accommodating over 300 people, redefining urban living in the heart of Seoul. In an era marked by uncertainty in residential choices, the emergence of coliving presents a novel alternative, fostering a shared living experience within meticulously crafted spaces for comfortable dwellings. MGRV, the visionary behind this project, articulates a vision to transcend the conventional notion of lodging and cultivate a communal living environment reminiscent of home, where individuals seamlessly coexist amidst intuitively designed communal and private spaces, fostering harmony.
From Tourist Spaces to Community Hubs - At the entrance of the former business hotel, an impression of exclusivity once prevailed. To align with the ethos of coliving, the façade has been redesigned with transparent glass, replacing the former imposing structure. Additionally, within the vast lobby space, automatic doors and a café have been introduced, creating an inviting atmosphere conducive to community interaction. The traditional hotel rooms, equipped minimally for short-term stays, underwent a comprehensive overhaul to create a new room layout. Custom-designed furniture tailored to the spatial constraints and usage needs, such as accommodating luggage storage beneath the bed, exemplifies the efficiency and functionality central to the reimagined living spaces.
Elevating Coliving Spaces Beyond Individual Homes - Reflecting the essence of coliving, diverse communal spaces, including spacious living areas and a breathtaking rooftop, fulfill the aspirations for residential amenities typically sought after by individuals. Careful planning of facility placement and user patterns characterizes spaces closely integrated with daily life. For instance, the shared kitchens are divided into three types, with functional layouts on residential floors and larger kitchen stations on the top floor, seamlessly connected to a social kitchen on the rooftop. The subterranean lounge area, strategically situated near the elevator for vibrant exchanges, transitions into more private zones as one delves deeper, encapsulating the harmonious balance between personal and communal living within the confines of a single building.
Crafting Comfortable Homes with COM's Intuitive Furniture Design - Above all, the paramount objective is to render this space a 'home' in every sense. Catering to young urban dwellers transitioning into independent living, the emphasis transcends the transient and isolating options of studios or dormitories, aspiring instead to provide a sanctuary imbued with reassurance and stability. This ethos is eloquently echoed in lighting, furniture design, and finishing materials. Lighting fixtures, designed to evoke visual comfort synonymous with home, employ translucent glass to diffuse illumination gently. Utilizing wood finishes for furniture and wall panels not only accentuates tactile warmth but also offers a harmonious balance between colder materials like metal and glass, culminating in spaces exuding a sense of security and tranquility.
The Mangrove Dongdaemun project, a collaboration between the MGRV team and COM initiated in 2022, spans an expansive 11,588 square meters, encompassing a 15-story building featuring 177 independent living units alongside short-term stay rooms. After a six-month construction period, the project successfully welcomed new residences in August 2022. Anchored by a welcoming lobby lounge and community desk on the ground floor and a myriad of member-exclusive communal spaces spanning two basement levels, Mangrove Dongdaemun epitomizes the harmonious convergence of 'individual living' and 'shared living' within a meticulously curated urban oasis.
