JDS Architects have created an incredible plan for a zoo located on the South Korean island of Dochodo. The island could, according to the architecture firm, be a “case study to define a tourist region based on sustainable development only, where natures and structures function in equilibrium, symbiotically feeding one another.”



According to JDS, the zoo’s landscape of natural peaks and valleys is ideal for zoo development. The flat valleys could host animals, while more mountainous areas could be protected and treated as nature reserves. All transportation, energy sources and building systems would be housed in a so-called “infrastructural green belt” located at a height of 20 meters. Everything above and below would remain untouched.



The proposed zoo would be as low-impact as possible, with zero-carbon transport systems, renewable energy sources, rainwater collection sites, and all waste would be reused as either composted fertilizer or biofuel. Dochodo sounds like an ideal location for a low-impact zoo, but we have to wonder about the potential impact of tourists constantly shuttling from other cities to the island. To the architects’ credit, they did notify us that the island will be accessible by bridge, which is much better than having a location that is only reachable by plane.



Dochodo Zoological Island Development System

Dochodo Zoological Island Concept Map

Suncheon is one of the 5th largest tidal flats in the world, making it an international wetland that attracts approximately 2.8 million visitors in 2008. The methodology for this design began with the concept of leading visitors through the wetlands to the Suncheon Bay. The imprint of the receding tide water becomes the concept for this design.

The visitor’s center is placed at the Northeast corner of the site, identified with meandering pathways which encourage and direct visitors to experience the wetlands and outdoor exhibitions. The choreography of these pathways allows visitors to experience the topographical change of the site from forest to wetland. The placement of the building maximizes both the picturesque views to the mountains beyond and to the river, creating a visual continuation of both the water’s path and visitor’s circulation.

The buildings and pathways are designed to minimally affect the natural order of the protected wetland. Recesses in the pathways around the building allow for the wetland to continue under the structures. Building functions are separated into distinctly different envelops to allow for greater climactic control and lessen the overall energy usage. The green roof continues the language of the mountains beyond, allowing the gallery interior unobstructed views to nature.

The wooden façade is intended to minimize summer sun exposure, maximize potential winter day lighting and blend with the surrounding woodland to the north. Framed views from the gallery through these wooden slats capture light and help set the mood for this visitor’s center.

Providing connectivity to the 2013 garden expo, and the greater city of Suncheon, this design intends to reconnect visitors to nature and a network of facilities designed to teach about wetland preservation.

Architect: G.Lab* by Gansam Architects & Associates
Location: 540 Ochon Dong Suncheon City, Jeonnam Province, South Korea
Project Architect: Chuloh Jung
Design team: Dae Hyun Im, Sang Hyun Son, Daniel Da Rocha, Tana Hovland, Alex Cornelius, Lawrence Ha, Lyla Wu
Client: Republic of Korea
Site Area: 33,000 sqm
Building Area: 8,300 sqm
Competition Year: 2009
Images: G.Lab*

Jeju Island is known for its outstanding aesthetic beauty — it’s an area that bears testament to the compelling natural history of our planet. Listed as a UNESCO site, the island will soon be host to a new World Natural Heritage Center. The center is anticipated to become a meeting place set to educate and promote the importance of preserving the island and its heritage for future generations to come.

As one would rightly assume, building on a UNESCO site is a delicate issue. Designed by Kyungam Architects and Sun Architects & Engineers, the structure fits amicably within the existing landscape, following the natural undulations of the surrounding hills and volcanic mountains. The outer walls utilize Materuak Hyunmuam, a local material, and the building features a large open cut roof and glass windows that improve natural light and ventilation.

The World Natural Heritage Center will consist of areas dedicated to exhibition, education, research, and maintenance. The building will be crowned with an expansive green roof that accounts for the displacement of the existing vegetation of the site, while providing panoramic views of the much celebrated Halla-san Volcano.

The overall site was designed to harmonize with the surrounding village and maintains a view of the geomunoreum volcano. a key component of the architectural plan was to imbue as little damage as possible to the existing trees and topology.

The structure consists of zones dedicated to exhibition, education, research and maintenance.  The education area is made with moveable partitions customizable for multi-purpose usage. The office area was intentionally centered within the building to allow for more effective management of the center's various facilities. the research area with its separate outdoor deck is placed furthest away from the center to provide a quiet atmosphere for researchers. Other amenities such as the cafeteria and observatory were placed on the top floor to allow for nice view and a place of leisure.

Elevation: the motif of the elevation was drawn from the natural topological flow of the jeju's volcanic mountains. the outer wall uses a local materuak hyunmuam, a local material and the interior walls are made of glass to create a more open space.

Section: the heritage center uses a 9m height level and has a large open cut roof that provides natural light and air to the underground levels.

location: jeju, koreasite area: 40, 404.00 m2 building area: 4,360.15 m2
gross floor area: 6, 918.41m2
building coverage ratio: 10.79%
gross floor ratio: 6.99%
building scale: b1~2f
use: mixed cultural facilities

Kyungam Architects

Emergent Architecture and Kokkugia have designed an incredible Oceanic Pavilion for the Yeosu 2012 Expo in Korea, which will provide another showcase of amazing architecture once the Shanghai Expo has wound to a close. Intended as a centerpiece for the expo, the Oceanic Pavilion is a “celebration of the ocean as a living organism and the co-existence of human culture and ocean ecosystem.” Designed with the help of computer scripts, the amphibious pavilion is made from a series of ETFE membranes and armature that take on a life of their own through their organic layout.



While the 2010 Shanghai Expo is focused on the theme of “Better City, Better Life,” Yeosu’s theme is the living ocean and her coastlines. Deep pleats and mega-armatures composed of fiber composite form the structure of the pavilion, while ‘air beams’ spread over and stabilize the ETFE membranes.



Then micro-armatures (also called Mohawks) spread out over the structure like veins, adding additional structural stiffness and ornamentation. Color also plays an important role in the design of the pavilion and is used to intensify transformations in structural behavior – mega-armatures tend towards purple and pink, while ‘Mohawks’ tend towards orange and yellow.

The ETFE membrane bubbles allow natural daylight to seep into the interior of the building and also provide a bit of a thermal barrier and insulation. They are also remarkably lightweight and ensure that the crazy organic structure can be easily deconstructed at the end of the celebration.

Emergent Architecture

Kokkugia

Built in the Gyeonggi Province, the Green Tomorrow house is a stunning self-sufficient emission-free residence with a fossil fuel consumption of zero. Not content with just making an incredibly low greenhouse gas-emitting house, the team at Samoo Architects achieved the first LEED Platinum rating for any building East Asia.

The Samsung Green Tomorrow house is a 500 square meter zero energy house that is meant to showcase a wide array of state-of-the-art green building strategies. It was designed by Samoo Architects with Arup providing consulting assistance.

Among the home’s innovative technologies are a sophisticated energy distribution system that communicates with the grid, a high-performance facade that reduces energy consumption, daylight sensors, heat pumps, radiant floor heating, high-efficiency lighting and 163 square meters of rooftop photovoltaic panels. All of these technologies work together to create what they are calling a zero-energy, zero-emissions residence.

They also went for all other green building strategies such as dual flush toilets, waterless urinals and a greywater system that reduces water consumption. Low-VOC materials and improved ventilation rates ensure a healthy interior.

LEED platinum is an incredible achievement by any means. And the Green Tomorrow is one more showcase residence that shows what the future of sustainable building will hold.


Samoo Architects

Arup

Puhung (Reconstruction) Station, Pyongyang Metro, North Korea
Pyongyang Metro, operating since 1973, is the deepest metro in the world, at some 110m underground. The purpose for building it so deep is so that the stations can function as bomb shelters when needed.

The stations are not named by location but by revolutionary terminology such as Puhung (Reconstruction), Yonggwang (Glory), Hwanggumbol (Golden Fields), Pulgunbyol (Red Star) and Chonru (Comrade).

Yamasaki Ku Hong Associates Design Lab shared with us their project ‘The Great Wall’, a complex in Suizhong, China. More images and architect’s description after the break.

A typical ‘apartment-factory (a term used to describe a small manufacturing factory/office sold to public as a type of apartment in Korea)’ + supporting retail’ composition where a ‘retail podium’ anchors a high-rise ‘apt-factory’ towers has been economically successful in recent years for profit-seeking real-estate developers of Korea.

This very idea of stacking small-size factories in ‘apartment’ format has been received well; however, there have been some problems associated with access to day-lighting and poor working conditions. In this project, we tried to develop a next generation ‘apt-factories’ with improved ecological, economical, flexible and social bases in mind.

Not a high-rise format, but a permeable ‘mat hybrid’ format with differentiated public outdoor courtyards are introduced by sandwiching two very different types of retail (one that is composed of ‘entertainment oriented programme’ and the other that is concentrated with focused-retail such as ‘fashion’ and ‘electronic’ items) with apt-factories in between. This formation allows ‘continuous and concentrated shopping experiences’ for both destination-oriented and incidental shoppers alike.



This horizontal mega structure with integration of inner plazas are sheathed with historical precedents; since the site is close to the eastern end of the ‘Great Wall of China’, the idea of surrounding the site with the band of “Great Wall’ pattern in a ‘Hakka Housing’ format was a basic concept. The result was ‘eight distinctive courts’ filled with variety of entertainment and ‘green’ venues; these courts also allow additional day-lighting and views.



Seven cores created by this methodology were elevated to mimic ‘mountains’ of Korea; this way of shaping created a chance to entertain ‘100% green’ roof- garden idea. This also allows users, at the fifth floor level where a concentrated shopping area is located, to experience ‘inside- shopping: outside – roof garden’; an interesting way of intertwining shopping and park makes ‘shopping @ Korea Town’ more desirable. The roofs are partially stepped to not only provide additional resting decks for users of apt-factories but also create a multifaceted, ‘optical-illusion-like’ form.

The very ‘Korean’ way of mixing ‘live, work & play’ housed in a next generation hybrid structure to become an exciting gathering place for the people of China was created by applying ‘theme & variations’ methodology derived and superimposed by ancient ‘Chinese’ and ‘Korean’ historical patterns and culture.

Architect: Yamasaki Ku Hong Associates Design Lab
Location: Liaoning Digital Technology Industrial District, Suizhong City, China
Program: Apartment – Factory, Retail, Public Plaza
Status: In progress
Partner-in-charge: Tae Sun Hong, Won Jin Kim
Team: Sung Sin Park, Eun Jeong Kwon, Dong Hyun Ji, Whee Lee
Site area: 73,370.00 SM
Building area: 32,240.44 SM
Total floor area: 303,015.08 SM

Yamasaki Ku Hong Associates Design Lab