Invited to put together a manifesto exhibition on the world of the office within the framework of Cosmit, Milan, in 2013, the architect Jean Nouvel offered a philosophy of the work space : l’ufficio da abitare.

One of the various work space scenarios created for the Milan Furniture Fair features a loft conversion that intrigued Ted Chung, Hyundai Card’s CEO. And so Jean Nouvel was led a few months later to refurbish the Design Lab, the in-house research centre that covers two levels of Hyundai Card’s headquarters in Seoul. Offering a complete break with the tertiary environment housing it, the Design Centre suggests an approach to work that is open, flexible and nomadic, a way of working or coming together in a place where several different ambiances coexist. Beyond normality and everyday banality, the space creates a unique dynamic: an expression of culture through architecture.