MVRDV was commissioned to design two buildings in South Korea that contain a nightclub and other facilities, and require no windows. The firm took the opportunity to do something different and created an eye-catching project defined by its unusual facades.
The Imprint is located near Incheon Airport, within a hotel resort, and is surrounded by other buildings. One key concern was that the project should fit in with the architecture already there.
"Given the proposed program of the two buildings – a nightclub and indoor theme park – the client required a design with no windows, yet one that still integrated with the other buildings in the complex," explains MVRDV. "The design of The Imprint therefore arises from a simple question: can we design an expressive facade that connects with its surroundings even though it has no windows?"
In response, elements of the surrounding buildings' facades are "imprinted" onto the Imprint's facade in patterns that depict brickwork, windows, and the like. Additionally, MVRDV raised the buildings' facades at certain areas, in a way the firm likens to raised curtains, offering glimpses of the revelry inside to passersby.
The facades consist of 3,869 glass fiber reinforced concrete panels. MVRDV had these created using molds and they are painted white, except for a big splash of gold near the nightclub entrance intended to entice would-be visitors.
The project has a combined total floorspace of 9,800 sq m (105,486 sq ft), and is divided into the Wonderbox, which includes some kind of indoor theme park according to MVRDV, as well as the Nightclub, which features a psychedelic-looking space with multimedia screens installed in the floor and a mirrored ceiling and walls. Elsewhere, there's a sky garden and other facilities.
Source: MVRDV