I think this requires a well placed *GASP!*, don’t you? A glass geode encrusted work of art, that also happens to be a department store in Gwanggyo, just outside of Seoul. This building is the work of OMA, an architecture firm with offices all over the world – from Rotterdam and New York, to Dubai and Australia. Here are their words about this project:

“The Gwanggyo store is the sixth branch of “Galleria”, Korea’s largest upscale department store franchise founded in the 1970s. Sculpted as a stone volume with a textured mosaic stone façade, the building evokes the nature of its neighbouring Suwon Gwanggyo Lake Park. A public route is excavated from the stone volume and connects the public side walk to a roof garden—to include both retail and cultural activities. It introduces an innovative element to the traditional typology of a department store.

The public route has a multifaceted glass façade that contrasts with the opacity of the stone. Through the glass, retail and cultural activities inside are revealed to the city’s passers-by, while visitors in the interior acquire new vantage points to experience Gwanggyo. Formed with a sequence of cascading terraces, the public loop offers spaces for exhibitions and performances.”

Ok, now I want to live in a glass geode encrusted house. Happy Friday.

{via Design Milk}