Daniel Valle Architects builds Paju Book City headquarters for publisher Kyomunsa
A spiral staircase provides a staff entrance to this headquarters for a South Korean publishing house, completed by Spanish studio Daniel Valle Architects on the outskirts of Seoul.
The building provides both offices and storage facilities for Kyomunsa, a publisher specialising in science and cultural books. It is located in Paju Book City – a huge publishing community that forms part of the Heyri Art Village near the South Korean capital.
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
Collaborating with architect Minah Lee, Daniel Valle Architects first planned the structure as an 80-metre-long block, in order to work out the most efficient layout. But the team then folded this form to allow it to fit on the site.
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
The result is a two-winged structure with a slender triangular courtyard at its centre. In plan, it looks like a V.
One side is a single-storey rectilinear block that functions as a warehouse for storing books. Opposite, a three-storey block with a traditional gabled roof provides more intimate work spaces for administrative staff.
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
"The project takes the opportunity to propose a common container capable to absorb both programs," said Daniel Valle Architects.
"Consequently, the building is thought as a sequence of correlative sections constructed along an 80-metre-long structure," explained the team. "The sequence of sections along the project is smoothly morphing between the first and last one."
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
The building's main entrance is located between the two wings, sheltered beneath an overhanging section of the structure. It leads through a glazed wall into a reception for both parts of the building.
But there is also a separate entrance for staff. Slotted within a recess on the sidewall, this spiral staircase bypasses the reception and leads directly up to the first floor.
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
Concrete and ceramic tiles were chosen for the building's exterior, although the street-facing facade is almost entirely glazed. This reveals a staircase leading up to a faceted roof deck that employees can enjoy during lunch breaks.
Related stories: more architecture in Paju Book City
Heyri Art Village is a hybrid tourist attraction and colony populated by hundreds of artists, writers, photographers and designers. It is home to the Álvaro Siza-designed Mimesis Museum and the White Block Gallery by SsD.
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
Other recent additions to Paju Book City includes buildings by New York's Stan Allen Architects and Korean firm Unsangdong Architects.
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_1.jpg)
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_1.gif)
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_2.gif)
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_3.gif)
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_4.gif)
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_5.gif)
![Kyomunsa Office by Daniel Valle Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Kyomunsa-Office_Daniel-Valle-Architects_Paju-Book-City_Seoul_dezeen_6.gif)