Seoul National University International Vaccine Institute

Location

Seoul / Korea South

Completed

2002

Total Square Footage

180,000 GSF (16,500 SM)

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Molecular Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, Vaccine Development, Animal Facility, Pilot Plant

The design of the 180,000-square-foot International Vaccine Institute was awarded through an international competition. The complex is carefully sited to create strong ties with the mountainous landscape, while reinforcing a site axis through the complex to Kwanak Mountain. The form is fractured along an existing footpath that extends through the site to a temple on the mountaintop. Clear functional divisions separate administration, research and production areas, all expressed in the building’s architecture. Terraced gardens and a plaza link them in the tradition of Korean landscape design. All research labs are oriented toward the mountains and nature, while all the exterior offices face the city. The locally quarried granite gives the building the natural color of the stone found on the nearby mountains.