One Ocean Pavillon Expo 2012 Yesou – South Corea

client The Organizing Committee for EXPO Yesou 2012
architectur SOMA architects
light planning and design podpod design

The Vienna architects SOMA won the international design competition One Ocean Pavillon. It was the main building of the EXPO 2012 in Yesou/ South Corea.

Photo© digitalimage.at

One Ocean Pavillon Yesou

The building is located to the sea, corresponds with it and is like an inhabitant of the sea. The architecture is surrounded by waves and seems to be part of the water. The kinetic façade is made out of fins that are 14 meters long and look like gills of a fish of which bubbles come out. These fins were developed together with Knippers- Helbig Ingenieurs from Stuttgard.

The lighting concept of the façade consists of 2 Elements, light that looks like bubbles that moves over the façade and light that sparkles like reflections of the sun in the sea.

Rendering © isochrom (day image) / podpod design (lighting) / soma (architecture)

One Ocean Pavillon Yesou

On the inside of the fins are LED-elements, which light up the fin beside it when its opened. Light and movement of the architecture melt together to one object.

The second lighting level are tiny LED-points integrated in the fins in a non-rhythmic way, so that it feels like the sun is sparkling on the water.

Rendering © isochrom (day image) / podpod design (lighting) / soma (architecture)

One Ocean Pavillon Yesou

The seaside of the pavillon lives from the characteristic light behind the geometrical cut-outs in the façade. This contrast gives the object the impression of a coral reef.

Rendering © isochrom (day image) / podpod design (lighting) / soma (architecture)

One Ocean Pavillon Yesou

In the exhibitions space the lights were integrated into the concrete ceiling and into the floor.

Rendering © isochrom (day image) / podpod design (lighting) / soma (architecture)