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Architects: Jae Kim | CoDeAU, Namoa Architects
- Year: 2013
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Photographs:Sungmin Yoon
Text description provided by the architects. The Dobongsan Transfer Center Car Park was initially planned by the Municipal Government of Seoul, as the part of a new traffic system at the boundary of the two metropolitan cities Seoul and Uijeongbu. The main purpose of this new system is to provide a place within the transportational node that enables commuters to transfer directly from individual vehicular transportation to public modes of transportation (bus or a subway). The client, Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters, wished to include public amenities such as a caféand a lounge. This programmatic directive allowed the typical parking building to be reimagined. The car park is no longer only a structure for connecting commuters to transportation, it is also a place for connecting people to the each other and their urban environment. In this context, the project expands the notion of a garage as a depository for vehicles to an intermediary place of transfer and connection that is the public domain for commuters.
In this project, reinventing the parking structure began by rethinking the performance of the building envelope. Taking into account one of the primary problems with a typical parking structure--the dominance imposed by a large volume with a monotonous façade--the Dobongsan Transfer Center Car Park proposes a building envelope with a series of separated bands. The façade divided by bands creates a visual language that relates to the urban context rather than dominates it. The seven bands of the envelope are comprised of three permeable materials: translucent glass channel, perforated metal sheets, and metal louvers. These three materials are selected for their environmental performance with regard to natural ventilation and sunlight penetration. Although the materials are unique within the surrounding residential context, the choices create a building mass that is light, airy and inviting. The intention to address and reduce the imposing presence typically created by a large garage is achieved.
The main concept of the project, a parking structure as public space, is realized on the rooftop. Here the bands of the facade are manipulated to form an artificial landscape that creates a public garden and plaza. The roof is also functionally designed to optimize the angle for photovoltaic panels. The artificial topography created by the sloped roofs proposes a visual and experiential dialogue with the surrounding landscape of the Dobongsan Mountain. The project successfully showcases a new type of a parking structure. It proves that a parking building can be more than a storage container for vehicles; it can also be a place for community and new encounters.
