iArc Architects & Planners

Incheon Tri-bowl

Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park

INCHEON TRI-BOWL

IARC Architects

ARCHITECTS
IARC Architects

PHOTOGRAPHS
Youngchae Park

LOCATION
South Korea

CATEGORY
Pavilion

YEAR
2010

AREA
2.869 (Site)

Text description provided by architect.

Goals of the project: Creating a landmark, central park of Song Do Special considerations: Reflecting image, representation of the ocean from the Incheon Harbor Unique design requirements: Multi-Use building for exhibition, performance, and social gathering

Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park
Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park

The Incheon Tri-bowl is started with the idea being against to general thoughts about architecture. It is composed of a curved floor with a flat roof instead of a flat floor with a curved roof of general architecture.

This memorial hall is basically used for exhibitions and is designed to have a wide ceiling for those exhibitions. LED lambs, composing the ceiling, make different information available on those at any times.

Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park
Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park

The structure is floating on a rectangular reflection pond and patrons will be entering it through a long bridge passing underneath of the mass.

The interior was finished with a transparent material and also a lightweight structure with being separated to the shell body. The circulation of patrons is in the trace of a continuous cubic curve which is making multiple actions like circling, going up and down and etc. There are service space consisted of rooms for exhibition, performance and rest as well as office space.

The exhibition and performance space can accept about 400 people and the patrons can see the exhibits hanging from the ceiling through the trace of a cubic curve. It is mainly a one-way curved surface from a free curve and a conic curve under the shell body.

Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park
Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park

The exterior is finished with exposed concrete on the lower part of the shell while the upper part of the shell is finished with aluminum panels.

Incheon Tri-bowl is an uncommonly seen project that reverses the common understanding of an architectural space. Unlike the accustomed architecture space that applies small differences to the flat floor and ceiling, the Tri-bowl creates a free-curved floor under a flat ceiling.

Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park
Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park

The building is used as a gallery space, in which the flat ceiling itself was planned from the beginning to be used as an exhibit, which lead us to the solution of giving a radically shaping the floor of the building rather than the ceiling. This structure floats on a reflecting pond where there is a long bridge the visitors can enter under the extreme structure. The bridge continues inside the building and acts as the main circulation of the building.

The programmatic space consists of an exhibition/theater space and service/relaxation space. The exhibition/theater space can accommodate up to 400 people, where visitors can also view the exhibition pieces of work that hang on the ceiling structure.

Incheon Tri-bowl
© Youngchae Park


Incheon Tri-bowl
Plan 01
Incheon Tri-bowl
Plan 02
Incheon Tri-bowl
Plan 03

iArc Architects & Planners
T +82 2 5714894 F +82 2 5715443
iArc Architects & Planners
7, Teheran-ro 77-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea 06159