KOREA HYDRO NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATION HEADQUARTERS

Located in one of the most historic regions of Korea, the new headquarters for the Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Corporation addresses the contrast between the old and new, the culture of Gyeongju while presenting a new and modern building. The design must become a landmark for the city as well as for the KHNP corporation. Also, the building is situated in the very mountainous region of Gyeongju, requiring the building to respect the immediate rural context.

The design begins with creating a new conceptual form for a headquarter building. Inspired by the diagrammatic image of nuclear energy and the elliptical forms of orbiting electrons, the headquarters curves in plan while arising from the adjacent mountainside to a mid-rise structure.

The monumental form is clad in a panelized perforated metal shell. The perforations are extracted from the image on the Emille Bell, a national treasure and local historic symbol. The facade facing the interior courtyard incorporates a sun-shade module that changes in size according to its solar orientation. The inner-outer appearance allows for a modern design that becomes a subtle design landmark in the mountainside.