The building will be located in the Magok district in the southeastern part of Seoul, which, according to the city authorities, will become a kind of "industrial ecosystem" of high and information technology facilities and the light industry already developing there. Kolon Industries was the first company to start building its headquarters in Magok. Also among the businesses that will become part of the research park in the area include LG, Lotte, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co, Access Bio, S-Oil.
Kolon Industries is a diversified company with many divisions (you can learn more about them at its
official website), dealing with everything from chemical products to sports and streetwear, combining all stages of production - from the development of an idea and the extraction of raw materials to the manufacture and sale of the final product. The new building received three laboratory wings, united by a public and administrative block. Particular attention is paid to creating a favorable microclimate for employees: terraces, courtyards, etc. provide them with access to fresh air and sunlight.
The first thing that visitors will see when entering the main entrance of Kolon Industries is a daylight-flooded atrium 30 meters high and 100 meters long - the connecting component of all parts of the building, the center of social life. Crossings crossing it will be used for exposition of the company's products.
Particular attention is paid to the western facade, which will become the hallmark of the building. Its parametric components break up the massive rectangular volume of the building, making it lighter and creating a camouflage effect; they also serve as a sunscreen by scattering direct sunlight into soft light that fills the interior. Facade components are made of tensile-resistant fiberglass-reinforced polymer Aramid, manufactured by Kolon Industries itself; its use for the headquarters became part of its branding. It should also be noted that the project uses lighter floor slabs than hollow ones: they also contain voids, but in the form of plastic spheres with a certain step. This technology, BubbleDeck, reduces the weight of the structure by 40% and the use of concrete by 30% compared to a monolithic slab.
The shade from the trees in the adjacent park provides passive sun protection for the first floors of the building, where transparent enclosing structures blur the line between the interior and the environment. The conference rooms and public spaces located there are highlighted by exhibition galleries and branded stores that introduce citizens to the company's brand.
One of the goals of the customer was the compliance of the Kolon Industries headquarters with high resource efficiency standards - LEED Gold and GBCS / G-SEED (Green Building Certification System / Grean Standard of Energy and Environmental Design). In this regard, green roofs, sun protection elements of the western façade, the use of BubbleDeck, recycled materials, etc. have been designed.
Kolon Industries headquarters will open in 2018. At the moment, the construction of load-bearing structures and the laying of engineering communications have been completed. The final stage of installation of parametric elements and facades in general is underway.
