Hyundai’s “Modern Premium” strategy – the concern’s definition of quality encompassing technology, functionality, design, comfort and sustainability – formed the basis for an invited architectural competition to find a correspondingly comprehensive design concept, which could be simultaneously applied to all of Hyundai’s spatially very diverse locations.

DMAA’s competition entry addressed all key aspects of “Modern Premium” and formulated these as titles, hypotheses and arguments. The central themes and content of the winning concept were subsequently incorporated into the extensive “Global Dealership Space Identity” (GDSI) Manual, which presents both the basic design idea for Hyundai’s dealerships and the flexibility with which it can be implemented in detail. Hyundai showrooms worldwide have been adapted or newly built according to these guidelines since 2014.

The new Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Seoul has also been realised in line with the GDSI system. The concept of the building applies the Manual’s modular principle with concisely defined characteristic elements: Landscape, Vertical Green and Shaped Sky. These three design elements dominate the space of the Motor Studio without interfering with the panoramic view into the vast spatial unit, which is defined by simple and clear structure of openness and transparency, where automobiles are presented from different perspectives – similar to an urban or natural landscape, where visitors can wander freely.

The uniqueness of the building – and at the same time the main challenge of its design – lies in its ambition to unite a multitude of functions – Sales, Brand Center, Automotive Theme Park, Offices and Services – in one structure. These functions are positioned in horizontal areas, one above the other, and are connected through the vertical design elements. The aim was to create a complete and integral experience of the brand Hyundai for the customers and to let them fully enjoy the high quality of service offered by the company. Symbolically, the experience represents a journey everyone has imagined but never took, into a space, which stimulates one’s imagination – a journey of a car, a journey to a car.