Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the sole bidder for the redevelopment of Apgujeong District 3 — a prime riverside location in Seoul — has proposed "personalized future spaces for the super-rich" as the core design concept. The strategy aims to create a high-end residential space befitting Apgujeong, synonymous with Korea's wealthiest neighborhood, by offering premium services including landscaped forests harmonizing with the Han River, crystal decorations and artificial intelligence (AI)-based facility operations. The builder also signaled its ambition to create an "Apgujeong Hyundai Town" by linking District 3 with District 5 and the previously won District 2.
Hyundai E&C opened the showroom for the Apgujeong District 3 redevelopment project to the media for the first time on the 11th. The showroom, which opened on the 3rd of this month, operates on a pre-booking basis for union members. Hyundai E&C was selected as the preferred bidder after submitting the sole bid for the Apgujeong District 3 redevelopment project, with final approval procedures through a union general meeting currently underway.
Based on the vision "OWN THE ONE," the showroom is designed to allow residents to directly experience the future residential environment they will enjoy. At the center of the showroom visited that day was a full-scale reproduction of "The Circle One," a circular indoor community facility that is a core feature of Apgujeong District 3. The facility, spanning 17 meters wide, 3.5 meters high and 1.2 kilometers in total length, is designed as an indoor structure with heating, cooling and air purification functions, allowing residents to enjoy walks, runs and rest regardless of season or weather.
Advanced robotics technology from Hyundai Motor Group has also been incorporated extensively into the complex. In one corner of the showroom sat an AI-based demand-responsive transport (DRT) unmanned shuttle. The shuttle calculates optimal routes immediately upon user request, connecting major living areas inside and outside the complex in real time. It enables movement not only to Apgujeong Station on Subway Line 3 but also within Districts 1 through 6 where Apgujeong redevelopment is underway, enhancing resident convenience.
"Apgujeong Hyundai residents can also use it when visiting Somang Church, Kwanglim Church and Dosan Park," a Hyundai E&C official said. "We will create extended routes to Rodeo Street, and when residents call via the resident application, the DRT assigned to the district will move in front of their building." On the opposite side of the shuttle, a robot dog that patrols the complex around the clock was also in operation. The service enhances resident safety by monitoring surrounding conditions in real time and can also detect fires, providing a concrete blueprint for future technology.
The exterior design was completed through collaboration with world-class architectural groups. Rafael Viñoly's successor firm Rahmsa, synonymous with luxury residential design in New York's Manhattan, joined hands with Morphosis, noted for its innovative formal language. The eight buildings arranged along the Han River incorporate a "riverfront specialized design" that applies different exterior designs and premium stone materials to each building, forming a differentiated Han River skyline. The plan applies podium design to the lower floors and crystal structures to the upper rooftops to complete a new urban landscape for the Apgujeong area. The piloti height has been raised to 10 meters so that Han River views are possible even from the lower floors.
Interior spaces apply flexible, resident-centered design. The project adopts a "canvas unit" method in which the interior can be freely configured except for the exterior walls and pillars of each unit, enabling active responses to lifestyle changes. In addition, instead of a typical sky community, the project places 54 penthouse units, with a "triplex super penthouse" planned for the top 65th floor, targeting "Korea's top 0.01%." The triplex super penthouse is structured so that one household uses three floors.
In addition, the company plans to create a three-dimensional ecological forest by planting 13,000 trees across approximately 113,000 square meters of green space in collaboration with world-renowned landscape design firm Gustafson Porter + Bowman (GPB) and Greenwise. Sculptures by world-renowned artists will also be placed throughout the complex, turning the entire site into a single outdoor gallery.
Club Apgujeong, a community facility spanning approximately 148,000 square meters, will provide high-end living services, including health management through collaboration with CHA Hospital and The Classic 500, as well as partnerships with Hermès, L'Occitane and the Hyundai Department Store Cultural Center. To minimize facility congestion, a distributed circulation structure utilizing "The Circle One" and unmanned shuttles has been applied to improve accessibility.
"The Apgujeong District 3 showroom is a space where one can directly see the completed form of future housing that we propose," a Hyundai E&C official said. "Beyond simple redevelopment, we will create a new center of Apgujeong as a future-oriented living platform that integrates housing, culture and health."
