Tower Block Hybrid | Frits van Dongen

Designed by Frits van Dongen, Tower Block Hybrid, In the hills of the Gangnam district south of the city center of Seoul is a residential area of 1500 households realized. The initiative for the housing complex of 180.000m2 was launched by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (KLHC) in April 2010. The objective of the KLHC was providing affordable public housing for low-income families with the focus on providing a new public housing prototype in Korea.

An urban plan was developed for the Gangnam District that is based on the topography of the landscape of the site. Within the sloping green hills of Gangnam lies an ensemble of urban blocks, a layout that is not seen often in the housing market of Seoul. The design of the urban block is a new typology called ‘Tower Block Hybrids’, conceiving not only housing units but also public roads and private inner courtyards.

The design of the Tower Block Hybrid proposes not to be another housing tower of just suburban ‘Sleeping City’ but to be a real neighborhood: a community which is connected to Seoul but largely self-sufficient. The existence of a community is based on the possibility for social interconnection and the sense of ownership, a pride of place.

To achieve this the Tower Block Hybrid has a clear distinction between public and private outdoor space. Each individual block has its own courtyard that serves as a communal space with sports facilities, playgrounds, and gardens. The housing units have a range of different typologies, serving a variety of income levels, households, and lifestyles. Each house has a broad view of the landscape providing not only far reaching views but also regulating behavioral control within the block.

Project Info:
Architects: Frits van Dongen
Project Year: 2015
Volume: 498.000m3
Photographs: LH Group
Project Area: 180000.0 sqm
Client: Korea Land & Housing Corporation
Sustainability Consultant: Transsolar, Stuttgart
Project Location: Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea
Architects in Charge: Frits van Dongen (van Dongen-Koschuch Architects and Planners), at that time: De Architekten Cie.
Project Name: Tower Block Hybrid