In last year's popular Korean drama, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”, the main character, Woo Young-woo, imagines a giant whale whenever she has a brilliant idea. A whale that swims freely through the air, lifting its giant body to the surface of the water, or even to the sky. It is this joyful imagination that meets Hyundai E&C to welcome visitors to “Anguk, Hyundai E&C Station”. Hyundai E&C presents its second series of the Art Collaboration Campaign, sharing its story that has the power to fuel our dreams and imaginations.

Written by Lee Young-joo /Illustrated by Kwang Kwang /Photograph by Lee Seul-ki, Getty Image Bank Korea 

Hyundai E&C builds dream

One of the most iconic landscape paintings of the Joseon Dynasty, Mongyudowondo, is well-known for its depiction of the dreams of King Sejong's third son, Grand Prince Anpyeong. The painting depicts a place where the reality and the ideal coexist, filled with rugged yet cheerful mountainside and a peach blossom field. It expresses the longing for an ideal paradise that everyone dreams of in a distinctive painting style.

[ Ankyun’s < Mongyudowondo >. Source: Korea Data Agency ]

If Grand Prince Anpyeong was content with capturing his dreams in a painting, there are others who are looking for ways to turn their dreams into reality. From towering skyscrapers, transportation infrastructure enabling rapid travel, and powerful energy sources... It is a company that lives up to the philosopher Nietzsche's words: "Those who dream for a long time eventually become like their dreams." Yes, it is Hyundai E&C, a company that is striving to shape the current as well as the future landscape of Korea.

Hyundai E&C explores infinite possibilities

The second series of the “Hyundai E&C Art Collaboration Campaign 2023” focuses on “dreams” that Hyundai E&C has unfolded over the years. In artist Kwang Kwang's second illustration, <Building Dreams>, the first thing we see is the mountain that surrounds Hyundai E&C's building like a folding screen and a peach tree in full bloom. The composition, which is reminiscent of "Mongyudowondo", reflects both the incredible masterpieces that Hyundai E&C has built so far and the future it plans to build going forward.

[ Illustration for the second ad series of the “Hyundai E&C Art Collaboration Campaign 2023”,  <Building Dreams>, which has been unveiled at Anguk Hyundai E&C station from March 29th. ]

Let's take a look at Hyundai E&C's dream project first. The circular edifice in the lower left corner is the National Museum of Qatar, a cultural landmark in Qatar and an architectural masterpiece of the 21st century. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel and completed by Hyundai E&C over a period of seven years, the museum is characterized by its unique geometric shapes, consisting of a total of 316 circular panels assembled at different angles to represent a “rose in the desert”. Hyundai E&C was the first in the world to introduce 3D BIM* (Building Information Modeling) to the entire construction process to create an atypical construction with a high-dimensional structure.

*BIM: Abbreviation for "Building Information Modeling", a smart construction technology that integrates business information in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance phases based on a three-dimensional information model.

[ A view of the National Museum of Qatar (top) and Ain Dubai(bottom), a new landmark in the U.A.E., constructed by Hyundai E&C (Courtesy_ Ain Dubai) ] 

The giant Ferris wheel at the top is the world's largest observation wheel, Ain Dubai. To safely rotate the 258-meter structure, which is twice as tall as the London Eye (135 meters), Hyundai E&C has precisely engineered hubs and spindles that rotate while withstanding the weight of 3,500 tons, and artist Kwang Kwang added a Taeguk pattern to the giant circular wheel to express the power of the K-Construction, which became listed on the Guinness Book of World Records. The illustration also includes Hyundai E&C masterpieces, including the National Youth Space Center of Korea in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, and Namsan Tower, an iconic landmark in Seoul. 

[ Hyundai E&C built the National Youth Space Center (above) and Namsan Tower seen from Bukchon Hanok Village (below) ]

Hyundai E&C's technology shapes the change of tomorrow

The <Building Dreams> series also includes Hyundai E&C's dreams for the future. The UAM*, which is gaining traction as the next generation mode of transportation, soars in the sky with whale, and the skyscrapers that soar to the heights of Namsan Tower are equipped with ICT* technology to adjust the optimal environment by themselves. How about the tube train that runs through the air in between the mountains? If the ultra-high-speed hyperloop, with a top speed of over 1000 kilometers per hour, becomes a reality, maybe we would be able to travel abroad by train instead of airplane. 

*UAM: It is an abbreviation for "Urban Air Mobility", an urban transportation system that uses aircraft to transport people and cargo in urban areas.

*ICT: It is an abbreviation for "information and communications technology", a core technology for smart cities that converges information and communication technologies to send and receive information, operate and manage.

Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? In fact, Hyundai E&C has been at the forefront of smart home development, rolling out the first built-in voice recognition service in Korea, “Voice Home”, and applying it to Hillstate apartments since 2020. It is not only apartments that can be controlled by voice commands. By collaborating with Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai E&C was the first Korean construction builder to introduce the “Home to Car/Car to Home” service, which extends home IoT services to vehicles, and is advancing the construction of smart cities by building infrastructure using ICT and big data technologies. 

[ Hyundai E&C's conceptual design for a vertiport in downtown Seoul, South Korea, announced last year, with an aerial view of a multi-modal transit center (left) and a building top that utilizes the rooftops of downtown buildings (right). ]

The quest for fast and convenient transportation continues. The dragonfly-shaped building below Ain Dubai in the illustration is an application of the concept design of the Korean Vertiport, which Hyundai E&C unveiled for the first time at the "2022 K-UAM Confex". The Vertiport, which is installed on the rooftop of a building, makes it easy to board the UAM and connect with other modes of transportation. The future of a traffic-free commute, boarding a Vertiport on the rooftop of a building instead of taking a bus at the bus stop, is now within our reach.

Spring in Anguk, dreaming of “taepyeongseongdae” or trouble-free world

[ A view of Myeongjeongjeon at Changgyeonggung Palace (left). Myeongjeongjeon means “doing politics to create a brighter world.” ]

The reason why Hyundai E&C's campaign advertisement with an imaginary view of a science fiction movie attracts people's attention is because the symbolism of “ongojisin” or “building something new out of the old” still remains present. The white moon and red sun up in the sky, and mountains spreading out like a folding screen, are reminiscent of a landscape painting, "Ilwolobongdo" placed behind the throne. Whereas <Building History> featured a pavilion modeled after the Injeongjeon of Changdeokgung Palace, <Building Dreams> features the Myeongjeongjeon of Changgyeonggung Palace. As the oldest surviving wooden building of the Joseon palaces, the hall's name means “doing politics to create a brighter world,” and Hyundai E&C's Gyedong office is located in front of the hall as if it has inherited this spirit. 

[ The second series of Hyundai E&C's art collaboration campaign, <Building Dreams>, features rabbits and tigers that often appear in folk paintings, making it more interesting. ]

A closer look at the illustration reveals two rabbits raising the company flag of Hyundai E&C. Emphasizing the Year of the Rabbit, all of Hyundai E&C's art collaboration series will feature rabbits, but the rabbit that appeared in the last ad as a majestic general is now a more cautious figure raising the flag in a safety vest and hard hat. The pedestal of the flag is a "punggidae", which was used in Joseon palaces to observe the weather by wind. Just like the king's meticulousness in predicting the weather for his subjects, this scene represents Hyundai E&C's firm resolve to meticulously check the safety of its construction sites.

[ In folk paintings, tigers have long been depicted as amicable creatures, associated with bravery, but also with humor and satire. ]

Along with rabbits, the tiger is another eye-catching animal. Tigers, often featuring in old Korean stories that begin with "once upon a time when tigers used to smoke," poses in the center of a futuristic city. We are drawn to its friendly expression rather than the charisma of a roaring beast. Like tigers in “Sehwa” paintings that ward off bad luck and spread out blessings, this one seems to be acting as a gatekeeper to ensure that "Taepyeongseongdae or trouble-free world”, a longtime dream of our ancestors, will continue into the future. It turns out that our late Chairman Chung Ju-yung's nickname was also tiger.

[ A view of Changdeokgung Palace in full spring bloom. ]

It is spring, and the sun is warm. Even if you are not in Mongyudowon, which is filled with luscious peaches and blossoms, while strolling through the streets of Anguk, where every tiled wall is bathed in spring sunshine and blooming flowers, you will definitely feel like you're in paradise. Jeongdok Library is one of the best cherry blossom attractions in Seoul, and Changdeokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace are home to many different kinds of spring flowers, including apricot blossoms, plum blossoms, azaleas, and royal azaleas. So, why not go for a nice springtime getaway to Ankguk Hyundai E&C Station this spring?