ctbuh.org/papers Title: SKYSCRAPER Driven From Inside Out Towards Nature Authors: Chang-Soon Choi, Associate Principal, Samoo Architects & Engineers Sooin Oh, Associate Principal, Samoo Architects & Engineers Subjects: Architectural/Design Building Case Study Keywords: Design Process Master Planning Publication Date: 2015 Original Publication: Asia & Australasia: A Selection of Written Works on the World's Tall Building Forefront Paper Type: 1. Book chapter/Part chapter 2. Journal paper 3. Conference proceeding 4. Unpublished conference paper 5. Magazine article 6. Unpublished © Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat / Chang-Soon Choi; Sooin Oh SKYSCRAPER Driven From Inside Out Towards Nature Chang-Soon Choi, Associate Principal & Sooin Oh, Associate Principal, Samoo Architects & Engineers An essential element of skyscraper architecture city, and hosts numerous local and global at 414 meters tall, and includes luxury hotel lies in its adaptability to an existing environment. cultural events each year that include rooms, condominium units, topped by an For its massiveness in height and size, a worldwide conventions and film festivals. observation deck. skyscraper, while becoming a new landmark, In contrast to the rapid, unanticipated brings inevitable influences – both positive population growth during the Korean War, The project has been developed with one the current population is growing within overarching goal: how the supertall building and negative – to its surroundings. It is in that a carefully developed urban environment, will regenerate and harmonize with existing notion that Haeundae Resort Project (HRP) creating a desirable lifestyle. surroundings. Moreover, how the project will seeks for inspiration in nature as a key design enhance the City of Busan socially, culturally, principle, believing it is what will effectively Haeundae Resort Project regionally, and environmentally has been bridge a high-rise and society together. Haeundae Beach is best known for examined carefully. Hence, its primary design its beautiful beach, but has also been guideline focuses on integrating natural developed with several supertall buildings assets into the proposed high-rises. As the second busiest metropolis of South since the early 1990s. The high-rise Korea, Busan has a history that is more than residential tower is a necessary response Such an approach begins from the inside 1000 years long, which includes 140 years as to the city’s growing population. As a out, evolving from a unit plan that considers a port city. One month after the outbreak of component that houses mixed-use facilities, the natural lines and boundaries of the the Korean War in 1950, Busan was the only the podium provides many conveniences nearby sea and mountains, to a building city left that had not been captured during found in a dense urban area. mass, and then finally to a master plan. the North Korean attack; during this time, the This method of developing a unique city became a refugee camp site, and broke HRP is a mixed-use complex consisting of configuration of an interior space affects records for sudden overgrowth in population. residential, hotel, retail, and entertainment the form of the exterior, which requires Later, the South Korean and UN forces were components. Its development began in a delicate and morphological identity as able to rearrange the troops for retaliation. 2008 by Triple Square (AMC). The program is a new skyscraper. Haeundae has optimal distributed across three towers with a shared environmental conditions, with several Since 2000, Busan has been transforming podium at their base. To the north, there are extraordinary natural elements. Architecture into an international city through swift two 85-story residential towers, both 332 in Haeundae searches for design inspiration growth in urban structure. The city has meters tall. To the east and closest to the from its rich natural setting, in its aspiration begun to play an important role as a resort beach, the 101-story Landmark Tower stands to make the area a more wholesome place. Left: Map showing phases of the Korean War. Source: Vox.com Opposite Left: View of the Haeundae beach view, showing the future site of the building. Source: Samoo Architects & Engineers Opposite Right: Aerial diagram showing the view boundaries of the Haeundae Resort. Source: Samoo Architects & Engineers 144 View Boundary The beach forms a gentle U-shape, with develop an ideal form of architecture? While In the HRP Design Competition in 2007, Dongbaek Island visible in the distance. the ideal option lies in maintaining nature Samoo was selected as lead architect and People looking out to the sea enjoy a as is, it is inevitable to take a method of – in addition to collaborating with Kohn peaceful, calming landscape. “Dongbaek” vertical expansion as compact as possible Pedersen Fox Associates and Skidmore, is a Korean term for camellia flowers. - into account to accommodate the fast Owings & Merrill LLP as a team developing Blooming in the beginning of spring, the growing city. Busan, with its contextual and preparing design packages for multiple camellias alert people to the end of a long advantages from nature and infrastructure, proposals through from 2010 to 2012 – winter, and serve as a unifying symbol for seeks for a kind of skyscraper that would call has continued to work independently on the community. A neighboring bridge to attention to nature while functioning as an delivering the design development package Gwangan that was erected in 2003 is a great anchoring landmark. for three following years. addition to the touristic area because of its structural beauty that attracts more visitors In HRP, considering the residential density, The floor plan is developed to ensure to Haeundae Beach, as well as serving its providing every unit with an unobstructed that every unit gets an open view while basic function as a connector. view is a challenging task. The distance remaining a comfortable distance from between the three towers is determined each other, without losing the exclusive When overlooking the Pacific Ocean, by gross floor area (GFA). In order to offer quality of a luxury resort apartment. besides Dongbaek Island and Gwangan every unit a private terrace, the tower Accentuating the spatial quality of the Bridge, viewers can also see Tsushima mass becomes a tapered Y-shape. Such Master Zone that includes a master Island. Haeundae is a place of beautiful a shape has the advantage of having a bathroom with an ocean view, distancing scenery, holding the promise of a great longer perimeter to retain more visual between rooms within units for privacy, and resort destination, where Busan city officials openness. The tower placement has efficient kitchen layouts were all considered are trying to re-invigorate the tourism, undergone various forms of simulation as formative factors. To achieve the encouraging the city towards being a new analysis and confirmation to achieve the maximum number of rooms with southern- future international travel destination. wider perspective with optimal efficiency. facing ocean views, the core is shifted The 101-story landmark tower follows the from the center to the north, though the SKYSCRAPER Driven From Inside Out two residential tower shapes to create center is typically thought of as the most similarity in forms. After resolving the basic Relishing the attractive natural and artificial efficient. Fin walls between units support placement, the next step was to decide beauty of Haeundae, how would one the Y-directional loads. orientation angles for each tower. 145 Determining the best orientation of the The first three conditions have the best Parameters for height have been set tower involved various simulations to views, and are thus are dedicated to through view simulations to avoid possible provide sufficient openness. To accomplish residential functions. A notion that the visual disturbances. For instance, the this, simulations were done for every single graded quality of a view could be converted podium program is set above the 7th unit, despite some of them sharing the into price for housing and/or hotel is not floor, which is the height that surrounding same layout. These were then presented to without precedent, but HRP’s architectural buildings are limited to. The design the public to communicate a better sense configuration featuring a detailed intention focuses on how the space would of the spatial experience. The view varies classification of views is a new approach in be perceived looking outwards, rather than from each floor level of the same tower, and a high-rise tower. how it would be seen from outside, leading from each direction in the tower, as well as its users to appreciate the value of the the distance between towers. Preferences Since the introduction of 20–30 story landscape by inhabiting it. of future inhabitants were thoroughly apartments in Korea in the 1980s, large- analyzed and were reflected in later designs. scale residential architecture has been Through these arrangements, unfortunately, Unit conditions are then sorted by field developed almost solely around efficiency the thickness of the north core wall reaches of vision in the following categories, in in unit plan, circulation, and function. 3.5 meters. These structural solutions aren’t hierarchical order: “ocean + bridge + island,” Regretfully, this has resulted in a culture made based on objective parameters, but “ocean + urban,” “ocean” and “mountain.” where large-scale housing developments as an immediate response to the design without such elements are seen as needs and conditions. By comparing unprofitable, and so are not typically built. various structural alternatives, the structural 146 Opposite Top: Tower and plan options in the concept phase. Source: Samoo Architects & Engineers Opposite Bottom: Plan showing the orientation of the towers with respect to each other. Source: Samoo Architects & Engineers Bottom: To achieve the maximum southern-facing ocean view, the core wall has shifted to the north from the center. The structural team suggested fin wall between units to support Y–direction lateral forces.