Incredible new buildings have just appeared in Seoul

If you’re landing at Incheon Airport, the largest in South Korea, you might now see a glimmer of gold catching your attention— it comes from one of the two buildings that make up The Imprint, MVRDV’s latest project and the newest addition to the city of Seoul.

The Netherlands-based architecture firm has completed The Imprint only last month after three years of work, and the two buildings that form it were named the Wonderbox and the Nightclub. The Wonderbox is meant to be a theme park and entertainment area, while the Nightclub will not only serve the purpose its name suggests, but will also host a water club and sky-garden.

The façades are windowless, but the real striking points are the entrances to both buildings— the walls seem to lift, and the entryway to the Nightclub, in particular, is marked by a golden paint that’s very well visible to those landing at Incheon Airport as well. “This makes it as if the entrance is also illuminated at night by a ray of sunlight,” commented Windy Maas, the principal architect in charge.

The Imprint is meant to be the centrepiece of Paradise City, a new tourist hub only ten minutes away from Incheon Airport, to which it’ll be linked thanks to a monorail – Paradise City includes a hotel, a casino, convention facilities, boutiques, galleries, a food court, a spa and the Entertainment Square, which is where The Imprint is located.

It’s from its placement within Paradise City that The Imprint takes its name and its concept. The design makes it so that the façades of the neighbouring buildings are literally “imprinted” onto the Wonderbox and the Nightclub, “to connect [them] to [their] neighbours,” continued Maas. “This ensures coherence because Paradise City is not a connection of individual objects such as Las Vegas, but a real city.”

If you’re flying into South Korea in the near future, then, you’ll be able to experience these incredible buildings by yourself. And if you’re interested in learning more about MVRDV and its projects around the world, you can check its official website here.