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Architects: Collective B
- Area: 60754 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Yongjoon Choi
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Manufacturers: De Vorm, Kvadrat, Nox Global, PH Woojin
Text description provided by the architects. The Episode is a Co-Living brand launched by SK D&D to solve the problems of Korean society, where many people are isolated and disconnected due to the lack of housing and the uniformity of housing space. The Suyu, the region of the Episode's 4th branch, is a commercial mecca in the northern part of Seoul as an essential transportation hub with an abundant floating population and a place where people of various ages and backgrounds exist.
Episode Suyu 838 is the largest single building among co-living brands globally, with commercial facilities from the first basement level to the fourth floor and residential facilities from the third floor to the 23rd floor. It is a residential culture platform with various shared spaces with 838 householders.
Collective B designed the shared space of this vast 'vertical village' to grow into a 'sustainable village' to meet the needs of diverse people's rapidly changing lifestyles. Under the concept of 'the Village with a Lively Connection,' the design goal is to provide a sustainable lifestyle and a shared experience in the space by creating natural contact points to meet the various purposes of different households.
To realize the sustainable value in the spatial design, we prioritized using eco-friendly materials within the possible scope of all scenarios. As a result, approximately 80% of the furniture and props are made from recycled materials, declining about 3 tons of carbon emissions. In addition, most finishing material has minimized secondary processing and utilized naturally decomposed or recyclable ones to reduce industrial waste. To create a sustainable community-based space, we focused on designing a flexible space where people can launch various activities. On top of using eco- friendly materials, the modular design applied to all furniture and fixture enables sustainable space alteration, as it is easy to move and transform according to the desired purpose of use.
In a space designed to enjoy such a sustainable lifestyle, the residents of the Episode and local neighbors participate in the gardening classes and book concerts, contributing to the vitalization of the local community. Episode Suyu 838, which opened on February 24, 2022, recorded an occupancy rate of close to 70% within two months after its opening and is expected to be a huge commercial success, with approximately 600 cumulative tour reservations.
