High-rise Residential Complex in Seoul, South Korea Post-Pandemic: Improving design and environmental quality through the balcony
[Thesis developed in collaboration with Arup]
There are massive volumes of high-rises in the metropolis in South Korea. As the residential units took up 60% of apartment units in the nation, the typology became the representation of the city. Apartment complexes are a very efficient typology to accommodate residents as many as possible in the limited territory boundary to meet the rising urban housing demands, which became the most crucial priority of city development policies progressed by the government. However, most of the apartments tend to look similar with enclosed balcony type without any differences or specific features that could be demanded by natural conditions in different locations and sites. It could be argued that there would be no severe considerations of any specific suggestions for shadings or balcony types. Hence, the thesis project will explore the unified form of the apartment to understand the relationship between the balcony and environmental qualities, focusing on the energy consumption of flats. The outcome will suggest the future apartment blocks re-designed to suit the pandemic living or for the lifestyle that requires private outdoor spaces with design studies in thermal performance, minimising energy loads to maximise the balcony space use with energy efficiency.
