Architecture

Yongsan Tower's "pulled apart" design maximizes sense of space

Yongsan Tower's "pulled apart" design maximizes sense of space
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
View 32 Images
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
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REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
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The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
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The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
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The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
The minimal interior space is maximized by space-saving interior design measures such as fold-down beds
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The minimal interior space is maximized by space-saving interior design measures such as fold-down beds
Courtyards and roof terraces are intended to achieve a similar sense of community in R6 that Studio Liebeskind sought with its #-skyscraper design
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Courtyards and roof terraces are intended to achieve a similar sense of community in R6 that Studio Liebeskind sought with its #-skyscraper design
Central to the R6 concept is the claim that its unique, hollow, almost pulled-apart layout lends its compact apartments "generous views, daylight, and cross-ventilation," compensating for their modest size
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Central to the R6 concept is the claim that its unique, hollow, almost pulled-apart layout lends its compact apartments "generous views, daylight, and cross-ventilation," compensating for their modest size
Central to the R6 concept is the claim that its unique, hollow, almost pulled-apart layout lends its compact apartments "generous views, daylight, and cross-ventilation," compensating for their modest size
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Central to the R6 concept is the claim that its unique, hollow, almost pulled-apart layout lends its compact apartments "generous views, daylight, and cross-ventilation," compensating for their modest size
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
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REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
10/32
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
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The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
12/32
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
13/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
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REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
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The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
16/32
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
17/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
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The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
19/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
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REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
21/32
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
22/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
23/32
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
24/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
25/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
26/32
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
27/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
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REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
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REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
30/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
31/32
The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
32/32
REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district
View gallery - 32 images

Like the #-symbol-inspired skyscraper we looked at last month, REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district. Central to the R6 concept is the claim that its unique, hollow, almost pulled-apart layout lends its compact apartments "generous views, daylight, and cross-ventilation," compensating for their modest size. Courtyards and roof terraces are intended to achieve a similar sense of community in R6 that Studio Liebeskind sought with its #-skyscraper design.

Envisaged for short-term occupancy, the majority of R6's apartments have a footprint covering a modest 40 sq m (430 sq ft), and so REX have gone to great lengths to maximize the habitability of the building.

"In a standard housing tower, 40 sq m to 60 sq m units would create poorly dimensioned and oppressive residences, offering constrained views, little daylight, and poor ventilation, and community would be limited to activities at the tower's base," REX writes. But the designers claim that these problems have been overcome by "pulling layers of the typical housing tower in opposing directions," creating the staggered arrangement with jutting protrusions at each end of the tower that is evident in the project renderings.

The minimal interior space is maximized by space-saving interior design measures such as fold-down beds
The minimal interior space is maximized by space-saving interior design measures such as fold-down beds

But that's only part of the story. The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building. The hollowness that this gives the building means the apartments form a thin perimeter shell with windows facing both outward and inward. That the apartments have windows on either sides also increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation.

If the novel "pulling apart" servers a practical purpose, it would appear to be in service of that light well. With a uniform light well or atrium, the beneficial effects of this additional daylight diminish towards the lower floors of the building, which are necessarily cast in the shadow of the stories above. By pulling apart the building's form, this effect is reduced by creating a staggered stack of less deep light wells. More light still is allowed to permeate the shell with a number of completely open sections at end breaking up the end facades.

The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building
The main design feature that increases the spaciousness and airiness that will bring light into the space is the enormous light well the descends vertically through the building

Because the facade is so open at the ends, the term light well is only illustrative. A better description of the R6 might be of a complex consisting of two, parallel, narrow tower blocks connected at each end by a number of horizontal bridges. In that respect, the R6 has even more in common with the #-tower than it first appears. The footprint of the vertical towers may differ, as may the number and scale of the horizontal arms, but conceptually, these are residential towers that share a large proportion of their DNA.

REX hopes that construction of R6 will be completed by 2016.

Source: REX, via Arch Daily

View gallery - 32 images
2 comments
2 comments
Daishi
Seems a little impractical but most concepts are, an actual production could be simpler.
It is an idea that is similar to the way cruise ships are designed. There is a shopping plaza and such in the middle and the "walls" are 2 units wide. Interior units overlook the plaza, exterior units overload the outside/ocean and usually have a balcony.
Here is a picture that illustrates it: http://i.imgur.com/NglaY.jpg (the ship is royal caribbean oasis)
Cruise ships are designed around the idea of being fairly condensed but still enjoyable so modeling living spaces around them isn't that bad of an idea.
Garrett Ross
I get tired of "concepts. They are as useful as the flying car concepts of the 50's. Now before everyone jumps on the, "Its shows whats possible." BS bandwagon consider how often these concepts or even the tech thats hinted in them actually sees the day of light. As an architect you want to impress me, stop bragging about concepts and build. A standing structure thats a marvel of engineering, screams louder of whats possible than a million dreams on paper. Everyone of these concepts is a wet dream of useless energy till they see the light of day.