“My purpose is to deliver thoughtful, original modern architecture that is as accessible as it is beautiful, as humanist as it is disciplined.”
Richard Meier’s powerful words could well apply to any of his firm’s carefully detailed designs over the past 50 years, but yesterday he was referring to a project that is, in many ways, a unique departure for the architect. The newly completed SEAMARQ Hotel is the firm’s first project in South Korea, and, while the building possesses many features that are characteristic of the American’s distinctive brand of Modernism, its unusual location and contextual peculiarities constituted a rewarding challenge for Meier’s team.
Situated on a picturesque slice of land covered in native plants and bordering Gyeongpo Lake, the form and layout of the SEAMARQ is defined by its position between the Taebaek Mountains and the East Sea. Contending with a demanding programmatic brief — the proposal needed to incorporate space for a gatehouse, a banquet hall, a beach house and an amphitheater as well as conventional hotel amenities — Design Partner-in-Charge Dukho Yeon developed a composition of volumes to maximize this location’s greatest strengths: spectacular views.
© Roland Halbe
By combining a stepped four-story podium with a trapezoidal 11-story tower, Yeon was able to organize the accommodation in such a way that 144 out of 150 guest suites are treated to a panoramic view across the open sea. “In designing a building which is on the water,” explains Meier, “the water view takes priority so that all of the public spaces, all of the living spaces open up to the water. There is a relationship between open and closure, between opacity and transparency.”
© Roland Halbe
The building design takes advantage of these wonderful outlooks even further with the addition of wraparound balconies — one for almost every room — and an expansive rooftop deck at podium level, including an infinity pool that blurs the boundary between the building and the calm waters of the East Sea. “The guest rooms and the public spaces at the SEAMARQ Hotel are in many ways related to some of the early houses that I have [designed], such as the Smith House and the Douglas House,” reflects Meier. “There is an open living space, a great deal of transparency and an openness to the nature around the site.”
© Roland Halbe
“With this hotel, we aspire to create new and innovative,” continues Meier. “The principles that guide the work in our office are rooted in timeless, classical design issues such as the context, the site, and the use of natural light.” Indeed, the abundance of light is a standout feature of the SEAMARQ’s interior spaces: floor-to-ceiling windows allow daylight to stream in on every level, while a subtle but sophisticated material palette of polished stone and timber veneer reflects the light further still.
A luxurious lobby is adorned with several stunning, high-end features. A striking contemporary fireplace is framed by a stunning backlit wall of granite, while Ingo Maurer’s extraordinary lighting fixture — an undulating ribbon of gold — hovers above a 66-foot (20-meter) solid wood table. The showstopper within this space, though, is the staircase leading to the mezzanine floor: a sculptural spiral of rich timber, enveloped in Meier’s classic white hues.
© Roland Halbe
Outside, the tower is lent verticality by its core, an elegant column of pure white concrete comprising vast panels shipped all the way from Italy. This concrete was formed using an advanced aggregate with self-cleaning properties, meaning its gleaming appearance should last over time. Perched on a raised plateau, the building is surrounded by native vegetation, the majority of which was painstakingly preserved to maintain the region’s luscious aesthetic.
On the lower plateau, the banquet hall is located within a smaller building that maintains Meier’s signature aesthetic. Expansive walls of glass are sandwiched between sleek planes of white aluminum, reminiscent of a luxury ocean liner docked on South Korea’s eastern shore.
© Roland Halbe
The SEAMARQ Hotel is an immaculate example of Richard Meier’s acclaimed style, reminiscent of many of the architect’s celebrated buildings across the Pacific and in the United States. Its classic lines evoke the universal qualities of the International Style, yet subtle design decisions have culminated in a hotel that responds astutely to its context. And South Korea has gained a striking new landmark as a result.