Daum Space by Mass Studies in South Korea

South Korean firm Mass Studies has developed a system of five concrete modules for
building South Korea’s answer to California’s Silicon Valley, starting with this flexible
headquarters building for internet company Daum (+ slideshow) Named Daum Space,
the five-story office building is the first completed building on a previously
undeveloped site on the island of Jeju, where the company have chosen to relocate. The
architects describe this as a “rebellious attempt to move away from the urban setting” of
South Korea’s cities and form a creative community “comparable to Silicon Valley”.
Mass Studies has prepared a master plan for the whole 800-metre-long development
site, showing ten buildings lined up alongside a stretch of designated rural zones.
The 350-person Daum Space is positioned in the central section and demonstrates the
construction system envisioned for each building in the complex We thought of a way
to create a system of structure that could potentially serve as the Grammy for the entire
tertiary,” explain architects Minsuk Cho and kisu Park. “With these basic formal
structures we were able to form various forms of vaulted or cantilevered spaces
within large open planes, while also providing a way for the entire campus to grow
organically to meet the unpredictable needs of the future The 8.4-metre-wide
concrete modules appear in five variations and can be used to create column-free
spaces with spans of over 12 meters, as well as cantilevered canopies up to 6 meters
deep.