Architecture | Wise Architecture's "Gray Flannel Suit" Part III | CFile

The vogue for white glazed bricks of New York City buildings (mainly apartments) in the 1960’s and 1970’s has been satirically described (and not too flatteringly) as the “white polyester suit” of architecture. Over time they have gathered their fans.

At the moment there seems to be a rush of extremely handsome grey brick buildings worldwide. They share a certain soft chic, richness of tonality and offer a wide range of simple pattern options often using black brick as a highlight. In this issue we focus on three of these “gray flannel suits” of architecture. Links to the other posts in the series appear below.

Our final suit in the closet is the ABC Building in Seoul, South Korea, created by Wise Architecture.

From the architects, in their own words:

“The black brick is the most visible material in the Building. The stair alley wall consists of a steel frame system and dry brick wall fabrication façade without traditional mortar masonry. It creates (a) transparent experience of (a) solid brick wall with multiple brick wall layers. A building starts with a piece of brick (and) was completed with a piece of brick as well.”

The building is located near the Sunjung-Reung park, which contains the royal tombs of the Chosun dynasty. The five-storey building looks out on this park. The designers call it an “architectural mountain,” which people climb using an external staircase.

Above image: The ABC Building in Seoul, South Korea by Wise Architecture. Photograph by Chin HyoSook.

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