Project Name : Huffingtonpost Korea Office Interior
Location : Seoul
Designer : Jay Song, Joon Kim
Photographer : Jaehyuk Nam
Date : 2016
The Huffington Post is an American liberalism internet newspaper with 14 branch offices around the world. The office of Huffington Post Korea, a joint venture of Hangyeorye, is located on the 7th floor of Taeyoung Building in Mapo-gu, and various columnists are covering a wide range of topics with a catch phrase ‘life is full of news.’
The text of a concept, ‘NEW TYPE(OF)WRITER,’ claims to support a new type of writers and was derived from a ‘typewriter’ that quickly delivered information in history. Characteristics of space also captured spirit of journalists from pure and righteous period by using design vocabularies and colors of traditional typewriter. Every table was designed in opened shape to create vertical hierarchy and order of offices of the older generation, and boundary of communication was eliminated by arranging an island type conference room at its center. Rest area that all employees can share is arranged by the window with the possibility of political space to induce office atmosphere with full of neoliberal characteristics. The harmony of light bulb color and daylight color lighting on dark background is to create comfortable space where members of the Huffington group can focus more on the contents.
The Huffington Post Korea can be considered as a new news platform beyond a simple online media. They approach people in different ways when delivering information from ‘editor’ and ‘blogger’s’ position, not ‘reporter.’ The public gets to hear news that fits their preference because choices of the public become a high priority when they gather information. Since the space is to be used by an organization with the strength to lead the culture, the purpose was to provide peaceful space with authenticity in an atmosphere of freedom. It is expected to be the healthy media of Korean society.