HD Hyundai Global R&D Center Showcased at ZAK World of Facades South Korea

On Sept. 14th, Nikken Sekkei architects participated in the ZAK World of Facades, held at the K-Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. The event is an international conference series on façade design and engineering that has been hosted in 35 countries, reaching its 130th edition globally and 2nd edition in Seoul.

Daijung Kim, General Manager of Nikken Sekkei Seoul Branch moderated a panel of clients and local design partners to introduce the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center, an R&D office that integrates 17 HD Hyundai Group companies. It was completed earlier this year.

Located in Seongnam, 30km south of Seoul, the building is characterized by a symbolic exoskeleton of three-dimensional cubes that function both as structure and façade, the first of its kind to be realized through “performance-based” design in South Korea.

Each panelist shared the methods and processes involved to overcome the various challenges faced in this cutting-edge project. “The goal was to achieve energy-efficiency while expressing corporate identity,” said Mihwa Kim, Project Architect of Nikken Sekkei. “We hope this project will serve as an exemplary case of evidence-based engineering for a decarbonized society.”

Overview of Panel Discussion (Session 4)

Title: Cube, Void, and Grid: HD Hyundai Global R&D Center
Moderator: Daijung Kim, General Manager - Seoul Branch, Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Panelists: Changwon Lee, Senior Manager - Project Management Team, HD KSOE
Taeyang Kang, Senior Manager - Project Management Team, HD KSOE
Jonghoon Baek, Principal, Heerim Architects & Planners
Mihwa Kim, Project Architect, Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Seonghoon Yoo, Executive Director, CNP Dongyang