Administrative building Heungkuk in Seoul, South Korea by Mecanoo

In South Korea's Seoul, a fourteen-story headquarters of the Heungkuk insurance company specializing in life insurance has been completed. The skyscraper is located near the oldest market in South Korea, which is not only a popular tourist attraction but also a significant commercial center. The history of the market at the Namdaemun city gate dates back to the 15th century and was declared a national monument in 1962.
The designer of the high-rise for Heungkuk Insurance is the Dutch studio Mecanoo, which chose a modest black color instead of the colorful lights and neon found in surrounding streets. The resulting design is horizontally divided into regularly alternating bands of windows and perforated metal parapets. The only decoration embellishing the building is the variously angled external blinds that filter sunlight and create different atmospheres in the offices. According to the architects, they were inspired by “the history of the local market and Korean traditions”, but in our opinion, they were also influenced by the strict dark grid of the Martin Luther King Memorial Library in Washington, designed by Mies van der Rohe (from 1972), which Mecanoo is currently reconstructing (completion in 2020).