New South Korean retail building looks like a molting insect

The Galleria, South Korea’s oldest department store franchise, has recently opened a new store in one of the country’s newest towns, Gwanggyo.

The building, Galleria’s sixth branch, has a very unique design to say the least. The facade combines multifaceted glass that appears to be breaking out from within opaque stone, as if the building was shedding its old skin and revealing the new.

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Appearing as sculpted stone emerging from the ground, the store is meant as a visual anchor in the city. A public route is excavated from the stone volume and connects the public sidewalk to a roof garden that includes retail and cultural activities. The glass, meanwhile, reveals the retail and cultural activities happening inside to passers-by. For those inside, the glass creates new vantage points to experience Gwanggyo. The public loop is formed with a sequence of cascading terraces and offers spaces for exhibitions and performances.

Eight unique departments are spread across the building’s 12 floors:

Floor one - Boutique & Jewelry

Floor two - Prestige Boutique

Floor three and four - Women’s Fashion

Floor five - Men’s Fashion

Floor six - Kids & Family + Mega Shop

Floor seven and eight - Sport & Leisure, Home & Living

Floor nine - Dining

Floor ten and eleven - Cinema

Floor 12 - Lounge & Academy

The project, which has been completed, was led by OMA partner Chris van Duijn.