DRDS, in collaboration with Kunwon, win competition for Pangyo Global R+D Center

The project is positioned at the gateway to the Pangyo Techno-Valley Campus. The goal is to create a landmark building and invigorate research facilities through design to attract global companies specialising in high tech industries such as Biotechnology (BT), Information Technology (IT) and Green Technology (GT).

The primary programmatic component is 19,800 sq m of R+D labs that serve as company rental and research lab facilities. These manifest in the design of three separate structures that vary in height depending on need. The east tower contains wet lab facilities that require specific lab planning modules, floor-plate configuration and heavy mechanical support, including rooftop exhaust. As a multi-tenant research facility, the building is designed to optimise plan flexibility with smart office space and a raised-floor.

The buildings are connected by multiple atria and connecting walkways, creating chance opportunities for communication between researchers. The idea is to promote synergy through cross pollination of various tenants. The hope is that spontaneous brainstorming can occur, increasing opportunities for ideation and discovery. This is a proactive solution that supports wide range goals of achieving greater education/R+D outcomes with domestic related companies and other research institutes throughout the region.

A core element of the project is the main atrium known as the Community Forum. It is an arrival space for the project, linking the entire complex and creating a zone of influence. It is here that researchers and business development come together in a public space where individual ideas contribute to a collective global reality.

The idea is to promote connections between researchers who can sometimes become isolated in their work. There are additional public workplace amenities that increase social connection between researchers for knowledge sharing. These are seen as micro- forums for breakout gatherings between intimate groups. They are connected to smaller 'breathing atria' that unite the inner architecture and spatial flows with the outside world. The connective tissue of these zones, highlighted by their transparency, also provide for increased security within the complex.

Architects: DRDS
Design Team: Paul Quinn Davis, Steven Ryder, Yoosang Ahn, Jin Tack Lim, Alex Fishman
Associate Architect: Kunwon /Haenglim/Da-In Group/Sun-Il
Location: Pangyo Techno Valley, Gyeonggi Province, Korea
Site Area: 12,578SM
Program Area: 46,110SM
Construction Cost: USD 50 million
Completion Date: 2011
Client: SAMSUNG Consortium
Images: Guido Torres & Rojkind Arquitectos

Program:
- 19,800SM R+D Labs (Company Rental Facility + Research Lab Facility).
- 3850SM Common Support Facilities (Auditorium, Business Office, Library, Meeting Rooms, Seminar Rooms, Facilities Support, Nursery, Cafeteria + Fitness).
- 2600SM Machinery + Equipment
- 9000SM Parking
- 9000SM Basement Service Area