Maxim Plant

mongsang_magazine

If you've ever been to Hannam-dong, you must have seen the building called Maxim Plant. Yes, that Maxim. Dongseo Food, a manufacturer of instant coffee, has named a cafe and flagship store Maxim. The building, with its neat structure, well-organized facade, and pointed detail of a gabled panel, has a richer composition than it seems. The sight of it lit up as the sun sets is memorable and makes it one of the buildings I wanted to capture. The initial agreement for this building began with the intention of serving as a park and plaza in the center of the city. Thanks to this, efforts to secure openness are often noticeable. The open space up to the second floor, folding openings made of perforated panels, and terraces show much effort was put into achieving a sense of openness. Most importantly, the seating, directly tied to the income of the cafe, is arranged to be fewer in number compared to its size, helping to secure a sense of openness. It felt natural to reduce the number of seats given the high number of floors for a cafe program. Even when I visited, there were many people each doing their own thing, so having more seats would seem excessive. That's what I thought was the advantage of this space. People naturally hide in a crowd and feel an inexplicable sense of security without revealing themselves. That's what this space was like. Everyone looked busy but not uncomfortable. On the contrary, they seemed more focused and relaxed. Maybe that's the unexplainable comfort we feel when we go to Starbucks. If I were in the vicinity, I would also bring my work here, into the midst of the moderate hustle and the shadows of many people. Location: 250 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Open daily 10:00~22:00. Mongsang Space Magazine introduces the space of your dreams.