Busan Cinema Center
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Busan Cinema Center

Coop Himmelb(l)au

Busan Cinema Center
By Coop Himmelb(l)au -

The Busan Cinema Center in South Korea is one of the latest creations of Viennese architectural cooperative Coop Himmelb(l)au, directed by Wolf D. Prix. The design is the result of a discourse of overlapping open and closed spaces, public and private areas, and how they intersect.
A square is created by the relationship between how buildings and objects arranged in space and the two large roofs, which act as connecting elements between the various buildings and open areas. The most spectacular of these is a cantilevered roof with a span of 85 meters 280 ft.), which emerges from a single ‘double cone’ supporting element. This theme – that is, the roof as a central architectural feature – was previously examined by the studio in its design for the BMW Welt in Munich. This column-free roof comes close to the idea of a ‘flying roof’. This is further emphasized by its three-dimensional ceiling design, which makes it something quite different from a simple horizontal screen.
The development has 58 thousand square metres (624,300 sq.ft.) of usable indoor and outdoor areas, including cinemas, event spaces, creative workshops, restaurants and offices. In the Urban Plaza a dialogue is established between a large outdoor amphitheatre and the Red Carpet Zone – a ramp built around the conical column supporting the roof. During the Busan International Film Festival, this ramp becomes an access walkway reserved for celebrities.
A computer-controlled system of LEDs lines the soffit of the two roofs, creating dynamic colour effects. The LEDs produce a ‘virtual sky’ effect, which connects the building-objects and the squares, creating a continuous and multifunctional urban space. In tune with the aim of designing the complex as flexible and ‘hybrid’, the space can be used during the festival as well as throughout the year.

Location: Busan, South Korea
Client: Municipality of Busan
Completion: 2012
Gross Floor Area: 57.981 m²
Cost of Construction: 100.000.000 Euros
Architects: Coop Himmelb(l)au
Design Principal/ CEO: Wolf D. Prix
Project Partner: Michael Volk
Project Architect: Günther Weber
Design Architects: Martin Oberascher, Jörg Hugo
Project Team: Sergio Gonzalez, Rob Henderson, Guthu Hallstein, Matt Kirkham, Veronica Janovska, Dieter Segerer, Markus Baumann, Jasmin Dieterle, Anja Sorger, Jana Kucerova, Jan Brosch, Ivana Jug 3D Design: Renate Weissenböck, Jan-Ruben Fischer
Model: Paul Hoszowski, Ernst Stockinger, Vincenzo Del Monaco, Johannes Spiesberger, Markus Erhardt, Hyoung Sub, Marc Werner

Consultants
Local Partner:
Heerim Architects & Planners
Structural: B+G Ingenieure, Jeon and Partner
Mechanical, Electrical: Arup
Lighting Design: Har Hollands
Wind Studies: Wacker Ingenieure
Façade Consulting to CHBL: Face of Building
Theater Consulting to CHBL: Artec

Photography: © Markus Pillhofer

 

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