This article was taken from the July 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
The curved exterior of Zaha Hadid Architects' Dongdaemun Design Plaza (pictured) in Seoul boasts not a single straight line nor a right angle. The structure embodies the best in contemporary design -- and still incorporates 500 years of Korean history. "During excavation we discovered five layers of historical relics dating back to the 16th century," says Eddie Can, lead designer on the project. "The project was delayed for a year as we attempted to incorporate these new findings into the design. Displaying these relics became a key element; we redesigned the architecture around them."
History determined the public park and cultural mega-structure's futuristic form. "As part of the brief we had to incorporate the original city wall," Can explains. "So we used it as the focal point of the park and played with topography to imitate the wall."
To achieve its amorphous feel, the structure was clad with 45,133 aluminium panels of differing curvatures, colours and textures. "Making a model for each panel would have been very costly and time-consuming, so we wrote a program to model the cladding. For its fabrication we used a multi-pin stretch forming system usually used in the automobile industry and aerospace."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
