Shinhan EX:PACE
Jung-gu, Seoul
'Rippling surface, walking through darkness.' - Shinhan Expace
Bright town, 'Myeong-dong' meaning a bright village, has been a neighborhood bustling day and night with shopping and tourism. Since the Korean War, as financial companies and commercial facilities started to gather around Myeong-dong, money began to flow in, and artists also gathered at the Myeong-dong Art Theater, which was the National Theater, making Myeong-dong overflow with money and people. Although it seemed to falter briefly with the development of Gangnam, Myeong-dong, boosted by the Korean Wave, attracted tourists and swept the top 10 national land values, becoming the most expensive and brightest shining land in Korea.
However, Myeong-dong lost its light as tourists left due to the THAAD and coronavirus situation. When the district was revived by the Korean Wave, services targeting only foreigners were risky. Many stores that did not prepare for such times closed, and the streets resembled ruins. In such circumstances, the Shinhan Bank Myeong-dong branch, facing the intersection of Myeong-dong 10-gil and Myeong-dong 8-gil, brightened the neighborhood again through reinforcement and reconstruction.
As you enter Myeong-dong 10-gil from Myeong-dong Station Exit 8, you see a curved glass facade. The glass, made to oscillate solid materials to look soft and light, reminds us of fabric. Fabric is all too familiar to us. It wraps around wounded areas to heal, allows us to rest against cozy blankets, and provides comfort by covering our surroundings. While curtains block out light, glass allows light to pass through and shows the inside. Making glass in the form of fabric, overlapping two materials of different properties, was meant to lower the entry barrier of heavy and solid architecture and open up the interior to draw people in.
The Shinhan Bank headquarters was inaccessible to the public, but now it has transformed into a space for everyone. It provides a technology development space where you can freely exchange with various companies and test new business models, and a financial education center for all generations to experience financial education. The roof is also open, allowing you to go up to a land with high land values and look around.
The building appears to float due to its solid and heavy structure. This makes the building stand out as an objet and gives it symbolism. It freshens up the surrounding atmosphere and distinguishes itself from other buildings, yet its soft shape does not make it feel uncomfortable. During the day, it captures the constantly changing light and the changing appearance of the space, and at night, it emits light outward, brightening the surroundings. Shinhan Expace holds significant meaning in Myeong-dong, where darkness looms, not for tourists, but for potential customers, the general public.
