Architecture Coordinating the Microclimate: WD Gateball Stadium
SSK
written by
Sooseok L. Kim Principal, SSK
photographed by
SSK
materials provided by
SSK
edited by
Lee Sowoon
SPACE January 2026 (No. 698)
In Korean architectural discourse, sustainable architecture has often been considered to be a social and humanistic concept, often discussed in relation to communal coexistence. This concept, which has a long history in architecture, originates in fact from the engineering sciences. This is largely due to its aim to secure an optimal thermal mass without relying on mechanical systems and by employing architectural methods such as forming and re-arrangement. This process is better described as an overhaul – a complete redesign from scratch based on engineering performance standards – rather than a superficial improvement of the existing system. To compare it to clothing design, it would be like selecting materials and designing garments to suit the wearer’s bodily constitution and physique. Adaptive architecture is a methodology that actively implements the principles of sustainable architecture. Microclimate regulation based on data and systems will serve as a crucial design standard that determines future living environment qualities in Korea where it is now expected to experience extreme weather patterns. In this project – guided by the architectural concept of lifting the roof to frame borrowed views and aside from attempting new methodologies such as a façade that actively responds to daylight exposure, a roof respiration that aids air circulation, and a massing that promotes fluid circulation via buoyancy difference – we also sought to implement a design that was capable of integrating spatial forms and meanings via data and systems. WD Gateball Stadium is a synthesis of eight empirical design strategies aimed at engineering innovation. These elements aim to restore the fragmented daily lives of individuals through the meticulous spatialisation of intangible elements such as light, shadow, sound, and fluid that influence spatial psychology.
Concept diagram of sustainable architecture
Skin Structure
H-beam framing was used to serve as the primary roof s...
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Architect
SSK (Sooseok L. Kim)
Location
850-2, Wondang-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, Korea
Programme
sports facility
Site area
861.3㎡
Building area
455.7㎡
Gross floor area
455.7㎡
Building scope
1F
Parking
2
Height
7.3m
Building to land ratio
52.91%
Floor area ratio
52.91%
Structure
steel frame, RC, SRC
Exterior finishing
AL curtain wall, exposed concrete, metal plate
Interior finishing
exposed concrete, plaster board
Structural engineer
Hub Structural Engineering
Mechanical and electrical engineer
Kodam
Construction
Borim Construction
Design period
June 2022 – May 2023
Construction period
July 2023 – Feb. 2025
Cost
2 billion KRW
Client
Incheon Metropolitan City Seo-gu Office
Landscape design
SSK
Sooseok L. Kim
Sooseok L. Kim graduated from Sungkyunkwan University and the AA School (SED, Sustainable Environmental Design) on a scholarship. He completed diverse projects at Foster + Partners and Populous in U.K., and at HPP Architekten in Germany as a Project Designer. After establishing SSK in Germany and operating based in both Europe and Korea, he returned to Korea in 2018 and continues his spatial work. SSK has won numerous domestic and international awards, including the Red Dot Design Awards, Architecture Masterprize(Best of Best, Honorable Mention) and the Incheon Architecture Award.
