HOK to Design Seven Buildings in Korea

Three towers along the park’s northern edge will help create “the Fifth Avenue" of New Songdo City.

Meaghan O'Neill -- Interior Design, 5/7/2007

The New York office of HOK has been tapped to design seven new buildings in Incheon, Korea—six mixed-use towers and a hotel. All will be part of New Songdo City, a $25 billion international business district built on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land along the Yellow Sea. Positioned to become the major hub of Northeast Asia, New Songdo City is the largest private real estate development in history, according to HOK.

Construction on three of the mixed-use towers, located on the north side of New Songdo's 100-acre Central Park—the city's main public park—are scheduled to begin this month. Intended to act as a gateway to the city’s northern residential neighborhood, the towers will take full advantage of their southern exposure, providing direct views of the park and beyond. They will carry a total of 900 upscale residence units, which will define the northern edge of Central Park, and are geared to become “the Fifth Avenue of New Songdo City,” according to Kenneth Drucker, design director at HOK New York. In addition to housing, the towers will accommodate live-in work amenities and retail space. Completion is scheduled for 2009.

On the south side of Central Park, the Convention Center Hotel, which HOK expects to become the first LEED-certified hotel in Korea, is already under construction. The 25-story hotel will include 23 occupied floors and a two-story rooftop mechanical area and roof screen. Of the hotel’s 322 guestrooms, eight percent will be suites. Hotel amenities will include two ballrooms, function rooms, a spa, gym facilities, a covered swimming pool, two restaurants and a lounge bar. The hotel, which is also expected to be completed in 2009, is part of a group of buildings that will include the Convention Center; a 65-story, mixed-use residential and office tower; the Northeast Asia Trade Tower; and a retail mall.

While Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates created the master plan for New Songdo City, HOK New York is acting as design architect and will create more than 3 million square feet of space with the six towers and hotel. In all, New Songdo will be larger than Boston when completed. It will include 50 million square feet of office space, 30 million square feet of residential space, 10 million square feet of retail space, five million square feet of hotel space, and 10 million square feet of public space.