Starfield Coex Mall_Gourmet Street
Location : Samseong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea
Completed Date : April, 2023
Category : Retail
Photo : Donggyu Kim
Losing the Way
In vast spaces, it is possible for anyone to experience difficulty navigating. However, it is also possible to navigate such areas or neighborhoods without difficulty.
In the heart of Gangnam in Seoul, “Coex Mall” opened its doors for the first time at the turn of the millennium. It was the largest and most modern indoor shopping mall in Korea at the time. After undergoing renovations in 2014, this indoor shopping mall was updated and given a new appearance. Then, people began to get lost there.
The Place, not way for Line of Direction
In 2017, the client of this project, “Starfield,” took over management of “Coex Mall.” To remedy the fatal flaw of the area, they built a landmark known as the “Starfield Library.” Even though the “Starfield Library” served as a landmark, individuals still got lost. This was known to the client, but the primary reason why this flaw was inevitable was that people entering “Starfield Coex Mall” could not determine their direction. Without a nearby absolute reference point, such as the sun, it is impossible to determine the direction based on a single point in space. Therefore, it was difficult to determine direction with only one landmark, the "Starfield Library," in the "Starfield Coex Mall." The client and we realized this, and to overcome it, we created several connected points to the Starfield Library. When these points are connected in a straight line, they serve as a compass for people to navigate the space. We planned three points, "Gourmet Street," "Live Plaza," and "Aquarium Street," to form a linear connection that would serve as a compass for people in the space, rather than relying on the "Starfield Library" alone. To make these points more distinguishable, we came up with the idea of assigning them each a distinct personality.
The three locations were geographically separated, and their surrounding environments were distinct. In addition, the structure of the given space and the users' intended use of the space were distinct. Given the circumstances, it was natural to assign characters to each of the three locations, but while doing so, we couldn't help but feel that it was insufficient.
Along with this visual character, I thought it was essential to have a function that could actively motivate people to act. And when we did that, we thought that the space that originally functioned as a ‘way’ for people to walk could be transformed into a ‘place’ and fully fulfill its own function. We designed these three points to function as a ‘place’ that can provide rest to people along with creating a single monument by giving each branch a character so that it can fulfill its role.
Benefitting Many
This project's space is a ‘public space' utilized by an unspecified number of people for a variety of personal purposes. In addition, this area is surrounded by numerous tenants who earn a living through economic activities. Throughout the duration of the project, we have contemplated the optimal design for a 'public space' that has relationships with users and surrounding commercial tenants. We believed that if the existence of a ‘public space’ whose raison d'être is the formation of close relationships with people in the surrounding area becomes more of a burden than a benefit to the surrounding tenants, then the vitality of that ‘public space’ will vanish.
We are certain that "Gourmet Street," "Live Plaza," and "Aquarium Street," along with "Starfield Coex Mall," will serve as a suitable compass for the mall, and we are confident in this assertion. In addition, we hope that the project will result in a beneficial space and to maintain positive relationships with the surrounding tenants and users.
