“The Cloud,“ a mixed-use building located at the central Deungchon-dong Eoullim Plaza in Seoul, translates the physical phenomenon of a cloud into an architectural structure.

While the solid upper storeys form a relatively private space for accommodation or office premises, the middle and lower levels constitute dynamic scenes for public programme, such as a library, cafés, museum, and atrium. Percolating from the top down, the strong interaction between program, form, and opacity is also pronounced. Below the private upper levels, the structure shifts in form, generating a cloud-like dynamic state of solids and voids. As such, a series of look-through views, projections, and recesses develop a rich and translucent architectural landscape that separates spaces for different public activities and levels of reprieve. The abstract deconstruction of the solid rectangular mass further allows for the interjection of a human scale in the otherwise relatively large, expansive structure.

The three-dimensional push and pull technique is utilised in addition to carve out stepped gardens that negotiate the varied terrain of the exterior space, presenting a rich composition of wooden terraces and sunken patios whose design language links seamlessly with the structural composition of the building. As such, a purely transparent facade interrelates the interior with the exterior space, connecting the outdoor public space with an inner public realm.