JangJi Multi-Level Complex of the Public Garage

Client: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Date: 2019 Competition

Area: 73,300m2

Budget: KRW 200 billion

AZPML

Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Maider Llaguno-Munitxa, Ivaylo Nachev

Local Partner: Simplex Architecture

Our proposal for the future JangJi Complex is aimed to optimize the urban microclimate in the project, by maximizing the vegetation of the urban surfaces, and turning the high-rise building into air-purifying devices. Our proposal is to cover the full area of the Bus Depot with a layer of bioactive soil capable to vegetate its surface, including the plantation of large trees. Approximately 85% of the total surface of the project will be vegetated. This will not only act as a carbon trap for fumes, but it will also increase stormwater retention and evapotranspiration, which reduce heat island effects and improve substantially air quality and urban microclimate in the complex.

The planting of vernacular tree species will ensure that the Depot’s roof will remain a large urban park, open for all, with a very reduced maintenance cost. A large section of the vegetated roof will be reserved for urban agriculture, using the organic refuse for composting and as a fertiliser to the growth of local vegetables.

The site has a gradient of environmental quality which decreases from East to West and from North to South. The residential and civic areas of the complex have been located on the Northeast area of the site, to avoid casting shadows on the park, diminishing exposure to noise and pollution from the Seouloegwaksunhwan Expressway and enjoy the proximity to the Jangji-Dong Creek Park, which will act as a landscape feature and environmental regulator. Beyond the environmental pollution we have located the residential buildings in a place where they can be insulated from the vibration from buses, occupying a minimum footprint.

Two 30 storey towers will be structurally and functionally independent from the Bus Depot. The towers are designed to optimize solar exposure to the units, which are systematically facing the South View to obtain over 6h of daily solar exposure. All the South-facing facades are provided with a 1.2m conservatory for optimal environmental performance of the units.

The residential towers are grounded on a large Social Conservatory, a glazed envelope which will contain all the social programs of the complex, as an environmental regulator. The conservatory will not only help to grow vegetation indoors, but also act as a thermal buffer in winter and a ventilator in the summer.

We will use the towers as solar chimneys, fed by the hot air collected on the Social Conservatory to produce an updraft through buoyancy which will ensure the movement of air from inside the Bus Depot. This updraft, produced naturally will help to filter the air in the Bus Depot, and remove the pollution coming from the Expressway from the Park.