The inspiration from natural biomorphic forms in architecture is not new. Since the expressionism of the 1920s in Germany and the Amsterdam school, the communication of strong emotions has been conveyed through the use of new materials, formal innovation, and the absolute uniqueness of buildings.

GALLERIA – department store in Gwanggyo:

The architecture studio OMA, a century later, tries again, using this stratagem in its new project, inaugurated last March in the city of Gwanggyo, near Seoul, South Korea.

Chris van Duijn, partner at OMA, referring to the area where the building stands, says that to overcome the feeling of a rootless place, a volume was created to convey the image of a piece of rock extracted from the depths of the earth, thus making the building assume the role, figuratively, of a milestone in the emerging city of Gwanggyo.

The facade as a texture of pixels:

The facade is indeed a cross-section of the layers that make up the Earth’s structure, resulting from long processes of material sedimentation.

The sequence of layers that make up this section is visually achieved with stone triangles placed on a reinforced concrete wall structure, forming a mosaic of pieces with different colors, exactly the colors of the earth ranging from beige to ochre to brown.

Stone triangles in various shades of color:

These triangles are made with different types of granite.

The illusory and artificial effect is revealed when you are close: the facade appears as a texture composed of pixels.

The building evokes the nature of Suwon Park behind it, with the insertion of glass protrusions faceted like crystals of a precious gem, embedded in the opaque stone, wrapping around the facade like monstrous sea creatures. In this sense, too, the project is the result of a genetic crossover between nature and urban environment.

The building during its construction:

Credits:

https://www.c3korea.net/galleria-department-store-gwanggyo/

https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/25/oma-gwanggyo-galleria-department-store-in-gwanggyo/