Seoul, South Korea
When did workspaces become places for work alone—void of pause, encounter, or presence? Today, offices increasingly turn inward, severing ties with the city and compressing people into mere functions.
It was time to reclaim those subtle, in-between spaces where life, connection, and human presence quietly unfold.
Tetris Building by AREP China won an 2026 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The project began with a clear client request: to create an eight-story office building that would appear large, tall, and visually commanding despite height restrictions.
The design fully utilized the maximum allowable height while adding depth and nuance through strategically placed balconies, an uncommon feature in contemporary office architecture.
These projected spaces give the façade layers of shadow and texture, adding visual weight and dimensional richness.
Externally, the irregular balcony arrangement generates a dynamic composition. Their varied placement shifts the façade’s rhythm and expression, creating a sculptural identity that remains distinctive while serving practical purposes.
The balconies function as buffer zones—intermediate spaces mediating between work and rest, interior and exterior, building and city.
Inside, focused workspaces dominate, while exterior balconies provide moments to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the environment. These in-between realms encourage a healthier rhythm of daily occupation.
Each balcony acts as a physical and psychological threshold, linking concentration with pause. Distributed across all levels, they ensure accessible rest opportunities throughout the day.
In plan, terraces give every floor its own retreat; in section, their staggered geometry encourages both horizontal and vertical connections.
People on different levels may notice each other, exchange nods, or share a subtle sense of communal presence. These interactions cultivate a layered, meaningful social environment.
For the client, the building delivers scale and presence; for users, it provides a humane workplace balancing work and rest; for the community, the façade becomes a recognizable landmark.
The interlocking balconies recall Tetris logic, creating an intuitive identity that is memorable yet contextually sensitive.
Through this interplay of massing, rhythm, and buffering spaces, the project proposes a new attitude toward office architecture—one that values rest as much as work, connection as much as efficiency, and presence as much as productivity.
Project: Tetris Building
Architects: AREP China
Design Team: Jiang Xingxing, Luc Néouze, David Perera, Zhang Chang, Pierre Grenier, Li Li, Yu Yulong, Wang Lidan, Shen Chen, Shen Ruoyu, and Gu Wanwan
Associate Architects: CCDC China Construction Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
General Contractor: HYGEA Medical Technology Co., Ltd.
Client: HYGEA Medical Technology Co., Ltd
Photographers: Baimo Architectural Photography: Li Haibin
