In Gwanggyo, a city just south of Seoul in Korea, the Oma studio has designed a department store with a stone-like exterior.
With this project, the Oma studio headed by architect Chris Van Duijn wanted to create “a natural point of gravity” for the local residents of the new thriving city.

Chris van Duijn, OMA‘s partner, said: “With a circuit specially designed for cultural offerings, the Gwanggyo Gallery is a place where visitors can experience architecture and culture while shopping. They leave with a unique retail experience that blends in with pleasant surprises after each visit”.

The store opened in Gwanggyo is the sixth branch of the largest luxury department store franchise founded in the 1970s in Korea. It has been carved as if it were a large stone volume, with a mosaic stone facade that embellishes its appearance and makes it even more unique. Surrounded by tall residential towers, the new gallery is a welcome contrast to the existing urban context thanks to the dynamic use of glass and stone.
The building aims to create a sort of continuity with the nature of the surrounding park where Suwon Gwanggyo Lake is located.

The unique project aims to change the architecture of the city, modernizing it, creating something never seen before, a stone not rough, but of great beauty and sobriety for the Korean city.