The definition of 'home' is now changing - from a place for survival to a place for well-being. People now cherish every second of their lives, and they are willing to have a better, more vivid home.
And apartments are changing as a result. They are using up space much more variously and trying to house more nature in them. The H, a premium apartment brand created by Hyundai Engineering & Construction(HDEC), is one of the examples.
The H Honor Hills, the HDEC’s first premium apartment complex in Gangnam, Seoul, was designed to harmonize with nature.
Wishing to retain what conventional apartments could not feature so far, HDEC designed the space that people could respect each other's lifestyles while living together as neighbors living so close to each other. Also, HDEC tried to tackle the old stereotype - that the 'apartments' is the opposite word from 'nature'.
HDEC created the brand The H, and showcased The H Honor Hills in Seoul, South Korea. The 'Hills' refers to Mountain Daemo nearby. Just as the name represents, The H Honor Hills tries to blend in with the natural surroundings. So the apartments were built through innovative ways, satisfying its residents quite successfully.
Embracing Natural Surroundings in the center of Gangnam
The H Honor Hills face Mountain Daemo in the south and Gaepo Park in the west.
The most unique feature of The H Honor Hills is that the residents can live with nature, facing Mountain Daemo in the south and Gaepo Park in the west. They also can easily reach Yangjaecheon Stream. It is very hard to taste the hint of nature if you are living in Gangnam, Seoul, and this makes The H Honor Hills even more special.
Creating wider streets or getting rid of mountains nearby used to be more important for conventional Korean apartments in the past because people literally preferred living in a big city, blocked from boring natural surroundings. Apartments are still much more expensive when they are built near subway stations, for example. However, HDEC captured the trend - that citizens now want to go back to nature.
HDEC built all the apartment buildings with each one embracing natural surroundings without blocking each one's view.
HDEC built all the apartment buildings facing southwest or southeast, with each one embracing natural surroundings without blocking each one's view. So the residents of Honor Hills can use Gaepo Park - 89,200 square meters - as if it is their front yard. 90 % of the residents can enjoy a nice Sunday morning overlooking either a huge park or a mountain.
The pilotis that lift a building above ground are 6-meters tall, the tallest in Gangnam province. People passing by the apartment buildings can feel a brisk, cool feeling breeze coming from the gigantic Gaepo Park.
The H Honor Hills also takes the privacy of its residents into account. The territory is decorated with sophisticated landscape design to keep the residents secured and out of sight.
The main garden is garnished with artworks and beautiful trees, and the trail leads to even bigger natural surroundings nearby - Gaepo Park and Mountain Daemo.
HDEC created the Eco Bridge, providing its residents with a shortcut to the mountain. It is only a 30-minute walk from their home to the mountain peak. Walking their dogs or going out for a run is no longer a problem for the residents of The H Honor Hills, though living in the center of the megacity.
This was all possible because each apartment building has its own yard, and at the same time, connecting the residents and even bigger natural surroundings nearby - Gaepo Park and Mountain Daemo.
Facing the opposite is a forest, making a natural fence for the residents, protecting their privacy from the outer world.
An Art Gallery Or A Front Yard
Alessandro Mendini's 'Proust' quietly yet vividly sits in the middle of the lawn.
Inside the apartment complex is an outdoor gallery filled with contemporary artworks. The center of the garden highlights the concept of landscape design created by HDEC, a contemporary art gallery. Each art piece was designed to harmonize with each season - with flowers of Spring, with green leaves of Summer, with fallen leaves of Autumn, and with the snow of Winter.
‘Opening the Seashore’ was inspired by the name of the province, Gaepo.
Each artwork creates different scenery in the complex. The biggest one, ‘Opening the Seashore’, looking like a seashell is created by Byeong-jin Kim, a renowned Korean sculptor. Representing the town's past, a small seashore village, the beautiful white seashell sitting with its big pearls decorates the main garden during the day and emits blue light at night.
Another piece is created by Alessandro Mendini, an Italian designer. He played an important part in the development of Italian, Postmodern, and Radical design. His 'Proust' quietly yet vividly sits in the middle of the lawn. Near the main gate of the complex sits another artwork, looking like a tree being swayed by a breeze. All these pieces together complete this attractive, peaceful town.
Artworks for the Community Spaces
‘Folly’(top) and ‘MT2’(bottom) by Ron Arad, one of the biggest design moguls
Even a single bench is an artwork. 'Folly' and 'MT2' by Ron Arad, one of the biggest design moguls, are just regular benches for the residents, and also beautiful artworks decorating the complex.
‘Tasted Flight’ by Sinta Tantra, a British artist of Balinese descent(top), and 'The Emperor Penguin On Ice Fishing’ by Myeong-gwon Pak, a Korean designer and architect(bottom)
Sinta Tantra, a British artist of Balinese descent, designed a playground in the complex. She used vivid yet soft colors and simple patterns to make this heaven for kids. The one called 'The Emperor Penguin On Ice Fishing', is another playground created by Myeong-gwon Pak, a Korean designer and architect. As the name beckons, the playground has a 7-meter-high gigantic slide, depicting a gigantic penguin fishing on a floating sheet of ice, boosting everyone's imagination playing inside.
‘Yeonhawon’(top) and ‘Seokgasan’(bottom) in the complex become the artistic green spaces for the residents.
'Yeonhawon', the garden depicting Daemo Mountain, sits quietly in the middle of the complex. Created by Professor Wook-ju Jeong of Seoul National University, Yeonhawon was inspired by Daemo Mountain in the morning mist. The one right behind the main entrance of the complex, 'Seokgasan', is another artwork inspired by Mountain Kumgang in North Korea. The 8-meter-high sculpture represents the boldness of the complex.
‘Yeonhawon' was awarded 'Good Design Award 2019' by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, and Korea Institute of Design Promotion. Also, all the four gardens including the main garden and Yeonhawon became the winner of 'Asia Design Prize 2020'.
Refined Colors and Finishing Materials
Unlike ordinary apartment buildings, HDEC used different types of stone material for the first five stories of each building.
Finishing materials and colors determine the whole impression of the complex. Single-colored buildings can look united, but soon they would look too boring. HDEC used dark brown marble for the lower floors and ivory marble for the rest to give them a fresh contrast. They also used high-quality paint for more vivid hues and smoother finish.
Each building of Honor Hills is garnished with night lights on top.
Outside walls are also built with care. Each building garnished with different ornaments made with high-quality materials. These different ornaments symbolize the identity of Honor Hills and give a fresh touch to the apartment buildings that pretty much look alike.
HDEC tries to provide its residents with new values that conventional apartment buildings couldn't.
People say that apartment building is an essential aspect of a city. This is because only apartment buildings can accommodate them. But HDEC wanted to take a step further, to provide its residents with new values that conventional apartment buildings couldn't. Space for housing each different lifestyle of the residents, for communicating between neighbors, and last but not least, green spaces - these elements all are very important aspects when people live together. And 'The H' brand could be the key to solving the problem.
