CHEONGJU WHOLESALE FOOD MARKET
CHEONGJU, SOUTH KOREA
date 2021
client The National Agency for Administrative City Construction
program Cultural center
surface 12 000m² (9000m² + 4000m² underground parking)
status Competition proposal / Finalist
design team Studio Akkerhuis + ArchiWorkshop
Can a 50.000m² wholesale food market be more than just a purely functional piece of infrastructure?
Located in the outskirts of the city of Chungju, we conceived this future market as one large south oriented shed roof simultaneously acting as :
A_a protective canopy underneath which unfolds a highly functional logistical hub.
B_a solar farm designed to maximise the energy production from the PV panels.
C_an integrated and optimised rainwater recovery system.
While the orthogonal 20×20 m structural grid allows for a flexible usage of the plan, the entire roof is Rotated by 45° to be south facing. In order to diagonally span across 28m and provide an optimised inclination for the solar panels, the sheds are made of a truss (2) sitting on a column (1)and supported by regularly spaced purlins (3).
The wooden roof structure is therefore conceived as a modular system made of an assembly of light and standard prefabricated elements. High importance is put on simplicity of the design and details, to ensure a cost-effective and fast construction.
Following the structural grid of the market, the downspout system is fully integrated in between the two timber sections that constitute each column. Each pipe is visible, easily accessible and participates in the architectural expression of the building.
Economical and easy to build, the constructive logic of the whole market reveals its flexible, efficient, sustainable and ecological nature. Creating a landscape of its own, the many folds of the roof dialogues with the geological vibration of the surrounding mountains.