Firm： Leehong Kim Architects

Type： Transport + Infrastructure › Train/Subway

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2021

SIZE： 0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET： Undisclosed

Like Hector Guimard’s Paris Metro Entrance back in 1900, 47 Modules has become a landmark subway entrance at a busy cross section in Seoul, South Korea.

Comprised of 47 modules, each module (0.57 meters in width and 3.3 meters in height) is a combination of carved solid granite and curved glass tubes. The outline of both materials follows a portion of an arc radius of 0.4 meters. The repetition of identical modules creates a refined balance between static and dynamic rhythm.

The unusual scene through curved glass allures the pedestrians’ attention in and out of the entrance. In a macro-urban scene, this glass box stands out as a lantern at a busy city corner.

The metro entrance is located at a public open plaza in front of a major department store, which has symbolized the neighborhood for 50 years. The base quotes the same granite material of the plaza’s paving and building facade.

The delicate details of the steel structure and framings holding fragile glass was a challenge to the design, but the modesty of such details shines through the presence and volume of granite and glass.