Case study of Herma Parking Plaza

1. HERMA PARKING PLAZA
LOCATION: YONGIN-SI, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Architects: JOHO Architecture - Jeong Hoon Lee
Year: 2010
Text description provided by the architects. General Korean Parking lot types filled Jukjeon
Commercial Area

2. DESIGN CONCEPT
01
Parking lot either frankly reveals itself to be a parking lot
without any consideration for design or surroundings, or
disguises like a commercial facility. However, both cases are
not welcomed in a city and ruin the city landscape.

3. Composition of the parking
ramp and the traffic line
Maximizing the potential
commercial uses of the land
Maximization of lawful
commercial area, the
possibility of using front terrace
FUNDAMENTAL CONSIDERATION OF
CURRENT PARKING
Increasing the architectural
value through front-skin design
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02
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4. ECONOMICS OF FILLING AND EMPTYING
Owing to the limit of business program called ‘parking lot’ the
construction cost also had lots of business limitations
compared with other general buildings. For the economical
construction the main structure was decided with the
reinforced concrete having been economical from the
construction viewpoint at that time, while for reducing the
earthwork the basement was minimized and constructed
with the method of open-cut. Like this the concrete volume is
composed of the most economical form to fill the land. It is
the volume to enable the maximum parking number of cars
in the floor area ratio by enabling the maximum commercial
area within the construction cost with a proper level. The
mass filled like this was established based on the exhaustive
economy.

5. A parking lot that doesn’t look like one

6. FACADE
02

7. Janus-like
polycarbonate
cladding
The north-western
pattern of opening part,
composed of violet
polycarbonate skin and
polished stainless steel,
refracts the light.

8. REFRACTION OF LIGHT,
DIFFRACTION OF IMAGE
The polycarbonate panel composed of 5 plies of film reveals itself with the reflection due to
the light source of external light.Contrary to this, at night it refracts the light sources outside
by the internal lightings. According to the angle of vanishing point the outer cover changeably
differs in its images reflecting the surrounding neon signs and night lightings, vehicular
headlights.That is, during the daytime it receives light on the outer cover and wraps the
internal space, but at night it refracts and projects the internal part outside.In other words,
there is no fixed image here, its true nature infinitely changes.

9. Various grill patterns
from different cars. It
was applied to the
pattern design of
opening part of
external cover.
The elevation surface
composed of triangular panel
facing toward the river. It
reflects the urban light and
speed through triangle
wrinkles. The planar figure for
ordering 635 polycarbonate
panels and more than 930
different Stainless piece
patterns.

10. STRUCTURE
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11. Economical construction
of 935 Stainless pattern
units
Process of fabrication of
STS frame and pattern
Exterior and interior
views of stainless frame
and pattern detail
STRUCTURE TIMELINE
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02
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12. Combination of
individual objects
The characteristics of exterior design exist in the panel with respectively different sizes :
● As known from the pattern of elevation plane with various expressions the
polycarbonate panels used for 635 units of outer covers are all different in
their sizes. Each panel differs in size with the spacing of a few centimeters,
which was cut and carried in the factory one by one.
● The maximum length of panel is 12 meters long,due to the maximum
specification of container box when imported.
● Each opening part is less than 12 meters wide, which divides the
polycarbonate panel and creates respectively different elevation plane
factors.

13. Design of
stainless
opening part as
a Metaphor
Another characteristic of land is the point
that the four surfaces are independently
opened without facing different buildings.
According to such characteristics of land,
the composition of elevation plane was
designed to direct various images at each
vanishing point. The opening part
composed of stainless pattern consists of
respectively different form and pattern at
each vanishing point, whose design of
automobile grill was applied inspired from
the characteristics of this building’s being
a facility for cars.

14. zinc-galvanized pipes
The frames manufactured with zinc-galvanized pipes, not only
play a role of making an exterior cladding form, but also is
connected with the point of parametric change of stainless
opening part pattern. In other words, the principle for stainless
diamond-shaped pattern to be deformed is set at the standard
of location of vertical angle pipe playing a role of structural node.

15. PLANS AND ELEVATION
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16. FIRST FLOOR PLAN

17. SECOND AND FOURTH FLOOR PLANS

18. ROOF FLOOR PLAN

19. ELEVATION

20. THANK YOU