JERDE | D-Cube City

D-Cube City represents a significant new model for urban land use related to intelligent mixed-use, transit-oriented development. This cultural and commercial destination is one of the city's first fully integrated developments of its kind, made up of a six-level 80,000 square-meter retail/entertainment/culture complex with a major performance hall as its rooftop centerpiece, a 42-story landmark office and hotel tower, and over six acres of new public landscape, parks and plazas. Responding to the needs of the client , Daesung - a major energy company - a wide variety of natural expressions are interwoven into the project, effectively offering a green and blue oasis to the urban developments surrounding the project.

Project Type

Mixed-Use, Retail, Office, TOD, Hospitality, Open/Public Space

Location

Seoul, Korea

Size

3,450,000 sq ft

Client

Daesung Industrial Co., Ltd.

Executive Architect

Samoo

Services

Architecture, Interior Design

Awards

Winner, Global Award of Excellence, Urban Land Institute

Gold Award, New Development Category, International Council of Shopping Centers

By bringing nature into the built environment and establishing a root of public culture at the site, the result is the project namesake of D-Cube: Daily (offerings & livability); Dream (desires & culture); and Discovery (nature & experience).

80,000 Visitors Per Day

D-Cube City's vertical urban land use combines office, hotel, residential, retail, entertainment, and cultural uses with over 17,000 square meters of landscaped gardens, rooftops, parks and plazas to create a major new public space in the highly dense capital city of over 10 million people.

Located near the Yeouido district, south of the Hangang River, in a predominantly industrial zone, and connected to one of the City's busiest Metro lines,... Read More the project site used to be home to a large coal processing plant.

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The innovative transformation of the site from a former coal plant into a mixed-use public district represents a major milestone for land redevelopment in... Read More Korea.

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Our vision for the site is a co-existence of nature and culture within a highly dense urban environment, a virtual river of nature flowing down through the... Read More project, as represented in this early sketch by Jon Jerde.

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D-Cube City's innovative vertical design incorporates elements reminiscent of traditional Korean landscape paintings of endless mountains and rivers.

The site integrates a 42-story office & hotel tower, 6-level retail center, two residential towers, and public space.

In addition to various programming components, many ecologically-friendly and sustainable design strategies were used.

Inspired by nature, the Daesung Tower conveys the idea of growth and energy growing toward the sky.

The bottom half of the tower are offices containing the Daesung corporate headquarters, while the top half is occupied by a hotel.

A vast new public pak connects the adjacent Shindorim Station and D-Cube City's street-level entry with native landscaping, water features, and a large amphitheater, while establishing a natural complement to the recreation areas along the Dorim River across the street.

30% of the project's land area is dedicated to public parks.

Among the design highlights are building forms organic to Korea that are shaped like Asian lanterns.

The lanterns create glowing light that filters through the exterior cladding at night to draw visitors into the project while providing a major visual landmark for the district.

An outdoor path is designed with the character of an Italian hill town executed in contemporary architecture.

The experiential pathway starts at the street and climbs through the lantern buildings to the top of the retail complex.

A six-level commercial retail center - at the base of the tower - serves as the centerpiece of D-Cube City.

The public common areas and circulation became the critical areas of focus to connect all vertical zones and program.

The ceiling on the upper level provides an ever-changing sky that floats above visitors, a reminder of nature.

A music hall that seats over 1200 people sits atop the retail complex, providing the cultural anchor of D-Cube City.

The interiors provide an experience that reflects the journey one takes from base of the mountains to the peak.

Materials

Warm white and yellow stone form a base strata for the project. The "lanterns" along Kyung-in Road are clad in warm hardwood. Warm, glowing light will filter through the wood cladding. White stone on the Musical Hall will contrast and enhance the warm light glow coming out of the lobby. The architecture is sculptural and enhances the image of the project with bold play of its vertical and horizontal forms.