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Ssangyong E&C to Expand Ogeum Anam Apartment Complex (from 299 to 328 Units): Korea’s First Apartment Expansion & Remodeling To Add New Units

2021-11-09

The expansion and renovation of the Ogeum Anam Apartment Complex in Songpa-gu, Seoul began in April this year and is expected to be completed in December 2023. This project will transform the existing two buildings (B1/15F) featuring 299 units into two larger, deeper, and taller buildings (B3/16F) featuring 328 units.

The project deserves attention as it is the country’s first apartment expansion and remodeling that involves an increase in the number of units. All other similar projects thus far have proceeded while maintaining the number of apartment units.

However, with this expansion project, 29 new units will become available for general presales from December this year. The main contractor is Ssangyong E&C, which has completed the greatest number of apartment remodeling projects among Korean companies.

In fact, it was Ssangyong E&C that came up with ideas to improve the project’s feasibility and profitability.  

“This apartment complex consists of two L-shaped buildings placed side by side,” Hong Gi Park, General Manager of the company said. “We proposed to the apartment remodeling association the idea of building 29 new units in the empty spaces partially surrounded by each L-shaped building and offering them as general presale units.”  

The ingenious utilization of these vacant sites allows the distance between the two apartment buildings to be maintained even with the addition of the new units while relieving any sense of crowding and privacy concerns.

At the same time, the creation of new general presale units has dramatically decreased each association member’s share of remodeling expenses (estimated to be KRW 150 million to 300 million per household) by serving as an additional source of funding.   

According to regulations on apartment remodeling, a unit can be expanded by up to 30% of its exclusive usage area (40% for units no greater than 85 m2). Taking full advantage of these regulations, the project team increased the apartment complex’s floor area ratio from 283% to 432%.

For this remodeling project, Ssangyong E&C used diverse construction technologies to ensure that the remodeled units have the same internal structures as those that appear in new apartment complexes. For this goal, the front and rear sides of the apartment building will be horizontally expanded, and the size of some small units will be increased from 71 to 89 m2 (in terms of exclusive usage area) by relocating their load-bearing walls. As for the floor plan, the existing two-bay units with a living room and a bedroom will be converted to three-bay units with a living room and two bedrooms that are aligned. At the same time, the structure of large units with an exclusive usage area of 106 m2 will be altered to accommodate independent use by two separate households, thereby facilitating the partial rental of the unit.

The remodeling will also greatly increase the number of parking spaces. Expanding the parking garage from a single floor (B1) to three floors (B1-B3) will increase the number of parking slots from 165 to 330. Moreover, based on the company’s patented construction technology, the lowest service floor of the elevators will be extended from the first floor to the third underground level.

In addition, a wide range of amenities generally featured in new apartment complexes will be introduced, including a fine dust filtration system featuring HEPA filters, an unmanned parcel delivery locker system, a one-pass system, and a storage unit for each household. At the same time, the large gateposts at the main entrance of the complex will add a sense of luxury.

“To create an elegant exterior appearance as seen in the newest apartment complexes in Seoul’s Gangnam area, the front and rear façades of the apartment buildings will feature the look of a curtain wall consisting of glass and metal panels, and the first floor will be replaced by a piloti space,” said Jae Jun O, Site Manager for the project. “Our Ogeum Anam project site will no doubt become a meaningful space that advances Korea’s remodeling technology a step further.”