New York, New York – February 2, 2016 – Richard Meier & Partners is pleased to announce the completion of the Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung, South Korea. The new boutique hotel is composed of two main buildings and supporting facilities nestled into a hill of dense pine trees overlooking the East Sea, Gyeongpo Lake and the Taebaek mountains. The former Hyundai Hotel Gyeongpodae, now known as Seamarq Hotel, has been rebuilt as part of a revitalization of the region in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
The Hotel Tower is anchored to the summit plateau and located very close to the ocean as if it was emerging from the ground. In contrast, the Banquet Hall is located at a lower plateau connected by a bridge, both buildings integrated into the landscape. A rich sequence of spaces unfolds as a procession begins from the approach on the main road along Gyeongpo Lake, passing through the entry court and gate to the hotel entrance plaza that is marked by the local vegetation.
The ascending road to the hotel flows gently around the natural terrain through the pine forest offering glimpses and framed views of the Gyeongpo Canal and the Hotel. The sequence of outdoor spaces and landscape design concepts were developed in collaboration with James Corner Field Operations and a local landscape consultant.
Richard Meier comments: "With this hotel we aspire to create something new and innovative. The principles that guide the work in our office are rooted in timeless, classical design issues such as the Context, the Site, and the use of Natural Light. In my work I seek to find through design the best of what exists and what can be. My purpose is to deliver thoughtful, original modern architecture that is as accessible as it is beautiful, as humanist as it is disciplined. This is an architecture which is concerned with the individual as well as the community at large.
Dukho Yeon, Design Partner-in-charge, comments: "This is an especially important project to me personally because it is the first project in my home country. It has been a challenging assignment for us because of the complexity, the subtlety of the program, and the sensitive nature of the site but we are very proud of the excellent result that is far beyond our expectations.
A generous outdoor deck and promontory with an infinity-edge pool and panoramic views of the ocean is a signature space of the hotel on the fifth floor. Besides offering a place for social events, the sun deck acts as a transitional space between the low rise base and the high rise tower.
"In designing a building which is on the water, the water view takes priority, so that all of the public spaces, all the living spaces open up to the water. So there is a relationship between open and closure, between opacity and transparency.
The guest rooms and the public spaces at the Seamarq Hotel are in many ways related to some of the early houses that I have designed, such as the Smith House and the Douglas House where there is an open living space, a great deal of transparency and an openness to the nature around the site," said Mr. Meier.
L'Observatoire International scope included the exterior lighting, all public interior areas and amenities, as well as guest rooms and suites.
Richard Meier comments: "The design of the hotel is concerned with the making of space, not abstract space, not scale-less space, but space whose order and definition is related to light, to human scale and to the culture of architecture. Every component of the hotel has been carefully designed taking in consideration the public areas, the weather and natural light of the East Sea.