World Business Centre Residential Towers

Location: Busan, Korea

Client: Solomon Group

Date: 2010 Completion

Total Area: 280,000m²

Budget: $93 million

Team credits:

FOA Partner in Charge: Alejandro Zaera-Polo

Project Architect: Gunter Gassner

Design Team: Daniel Spreier, Christoph Trenner, Sukyeong Kim, Takeru Sato, Sukyeong Kim, Jeseon Lim, Mio Sato, Changho Yeo

Our proposal for the residential towers of the World Business Centre in Busan aims to produce a high-standard urban residential complex with a broad range of complementary services. The ground level was designed as a permeable public space, for the enjoyment of both local residents and the public in general. The buildings have been designed to rely as much as possible in the local construction industry using slip-form concrete construction technology. The location of the two 50-storey towers on Plot 24 has been driven by the aim to preserve the views to Suyeong Bay while providing South orientation for all the residential units.

The towers are located above a socle that contains all the common facilities needed for the operation of the complex. Our proposal is based on a snowflake-like corrugated envelope that optimises the façade ratio while performing optimally on a structural level. By corrugating the plan of the towers we are using the vertical corrugation of the façade to increase the ratio between façade and floor plate, but also to increase the moment of inertia of the plan in respect to lateral forces on the structure.

In addition to vertical corrugation, we are proposing the introduction of a secondary system of horizontal corrugation of the façade through a system of Conservatories and Bay Windows which will enable the units to enjoy a very unusual experience in high-rise: the protrusion of the interior space towards the outside, allowing for lateral views and also exposure to the sky and to the ground.