West Glow Office And Retail Building / Society Of Architecture

Architects: Society of Architecture
Area: 522 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Texture on Texture
Lead Architects: Yerin Kang, Chihoon Lee
Structure Engineers: HARMONY Structural Engineering
MEP Consultants: Ju-Sung ENG, Chungsong Engineering & Construction
Construction: Dasan Construction Engineering, Sungsik Kim
Design Team: Jeongyeon Lee, Yoonji Kim, Haeun Rim, Joohyung Lee
Structure Engineer: Gyusang Kwak
MEP: Soohee Lee
Text By: Chihoon Lee
City: Seoul
Country: South Korea

West Glow Office and Retail Building, designed by Society of Architecture, is located along Jahamun-ro, a historic street in Seoul that has long connected people to the city’s past. The design reflects the idea that walking through a city becomes part of its history. Jahamun-ro, originally an ancient route, has evolved into a significant pedestrian walkway, with modern developments alongside old neighborhoods. West Glow subtly contributes to this evolving streetscape with a continuous urban facade that mirrors the rhythm of the street, using an L-shaped design to maintain architectural continuity. The building’s glass facade creates a “counterpoint” effect, with curved folds that form a wave-like pattern, enhancing the structure’s depth with a combination of transparent, semi-transparent, and opaque areas. Despite being a small-scale “kkoma” (kid) building intended for rental purposes, West Glow emphasizes craftsmanship, with its design evoking the process of glassblowing artisans. This project showcases how even limited-scale buildings can become significant architectural contributions by focusing on inventive details and materials.

West Glow Office and Retail Building / Society of Architecture

The essence of Venice is captured in the act of wandering through its streets. Strolling along, visiting charming shops, enjoying the aromas of nearby restaurants, and eventually arriving at St. Mark’s Square—these pedestrian experiences form the heart of the city’s identity. This idea applies to many cities around the world, as streets define the character of a city. The late Korean architect Guyon Chung once said, “To walk this street is to become part of its history,” emphasizing how walking through a city’s streets connects one to its historical fabric.

Jahamun-ro is an ancient path that, during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, connected travelers to Kaesong and Uiju via Jahamun Hill. In the 1920s, the conversion of Baekun-dong Stream expanded the road, turning it into a key thoroughfare and pedestrian walkway through Seochon. Before the Blue House’s relocation to Yongsan, Jahamun-ro saw weekend processions heading towards it, and the street remains a destination for visitors exploring the hidden old neighborhoods on either side. As these neighborhoods evolve, so does Jahamun-ro, with new dining spaces and diverse shops enriching its character. West Glow is one such small, but meaningful addition to the street’s history.

The wide six to seven-lane road of Jahamun-ro offers pedestrians a clear view of the continuous horizontal facades, allowing those on the eastern side to perceive the western facades, and vice versa, as part of a unified panorama. Building facades play a crucial role in shaping this horizontal character, making “how to face the street” a key theme in the design of new buildings along the road.

West Glow seeks to subtly integrate into the long history of Jahamun-ro with three primary goals. First, it aims to become part of the “continuous urban facade,” blending with the evolving cityscape. Second, the design embodies a “polyphonic music,” where independent elements harmonize into a cohesive whole. Lastly, it strives to be viewed as a piece of craftsmanship, showcasing attention to detail and design precision.

To integrate into the continuous urban facade, West Glow spans the entire width of the street-facing side with a unified design, avoiding any division into left and right sections. The site’s small roads, which run perpendicular to Jahamun-ro, create an L-shaped facade that maintains the same design language, ensuring continuity. This approach reflects the potential volume and scale of the changing buildings along Jahamun-ro.

In musical composition, merging independent melodies is known as “counterpoint.” Similarly, West Glow’s glass facade forms a second rhythm, distinct from the internal framework-insulation wall. The facade features repeated folds on both sides, keeping the building’s edges open. These curved sections follow a wave-like pattern with a 30-centimeter radius, creating a gradient from top to bottom, achieved through liquid ceramic coating (fritted glass) on compressed reinforced glass at a height of 3.8 meters. With a depth of about 60 centimeters, the glass surface creates a layered effect, combining transparent, semi-transparent, and opaque areas over the framework-insulation surface beneath.

West Glow is considered a “kkoma” (kid) building, a term in Korean society that reflects the modest scale of neighborhood living facilities. This label suggests humility, recognizing that while these buildings are constructed with rental income in mind, the financial returns are often modest. Many buildings across Korea, particularly in Seoul, fall within this scale, where small size and limitations encourage a focus on craftsmanship. Instead of relying on conventional construction methods, West Glow emphasizes meticulous craftsmanship, evoking curiosity and presence. The design process drew inspiration from the image of glassblowing artisans shaping hot glass onto metal pipes, reflecting the careful attention to detail and execution throughout the project.