[Seoul's Future] From Sibeom Apartments to Tower Palace... A Comprehensive Look at Apartment History

Apartments lined up in a straight row, shaped like matchboxes, standing 10 to 15 floors high, with parallel complexes facing each other. This is the most common image that comes to mind when thinking of ‘apartments.’ The origin of these ‘matchbox apartments’ dates back to the Yeouido Pilot Apartments in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, completed in 1971. Built as the tallest at 13 floors and the first to have elevators installed, this complex marked the beginning of over 50 years of slab-type (판상형) corridor-style apartment construction.

Slab-type structure resembling ‘matchboxes’ leads the apartment boom

The slab-type structure refers to a building block oriented in a single (ㅡ) line in one direction. When these blocks are laid flat, they resemble planks, hence the name slab-type structure. Starting from the 1960s, a period when housing supply was critically needed, slab-type apartments began to be widely distributed. Most apartments in first-generation new towns such as Yeouido?the country’s first planned city?Mokdong New Town, Pyeongchon, and Bundang are slab-type structures, as they were built over 30 years ago.

Common features include ▲south-facing orientation ▲affordable maintenance fees ▲(relatively) low housing prices. The biggest reason slab-type apartments are preferred is their south-facing layout. This provides excellent natural lighting and ventilation, making them warm in winter and cool in summer. This leads to reduced heating costs and lower maintenance fees.

View of Yeouido Sibeom Apartment in Seoul
Photo by Yonhap News

Additionally, slab-type apartments require less advanced technology compared to tower-type, resulting in relatively shorter construction periods. Shorter construction times reduce labor and building costs, making prices more affordable. Therefore, during the period of rapid economic growth when mass production was essential to meet increasing apartment demand, most apartments in Seoul were built in the matchbox shape.

Starting with the Yeouido Pilot Apartments, the construction of Banpo Jugong Apartments in 1973, which consisted of 3,786 units?the largest scale at the time?marked the beginning of slab-type apartment development in the Gangnam area. In 1976, Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments were built in the riverside area of Gangnam-gu, followed by Eunma Apartments in Daechi-dong, a southern wetland area of Gangnam-gu, in 1979.

Tower Palace in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Photo by Asia Economy DB)

'Tower Palace' marks a new era of tower-type apartments

However, in the 2000s, tower-type apartments began to gain attention with the emergence of luxury residential-commercial complexes. The boxy and angular design of existing slab-type apartments was criticized for being overly uniform and unattractive. Tower-type apartments differentiated themselves with geometric exteriors and varied color schemes. They were designed with floor plans shaped like ‘Y,’ ‘X,’ or square (ㅁ) to build taller structures on narrow plots. Besides their distinctive appearance, tower-type apartments also had the advantage of better securing views.

A representative example is Tower Palace located in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. With its luxurious exterior, spacious medium-to-large units, and upscale community facilities, it introduced the concept of luxury apartments. These tower-type apartments became landmark buildings with sophisticated residential space images that were a significant advancement at the time.

However, tower-type structures have drawbacks such as reduced natural lighting and ventilation, and maintenance fees can increase due to rising utility costs. Compared to slab-type apartments, smaller windows make ventilation difficult, leading some to avoid them.

Returning to slab-type... ‘Hybrid’ types sought depending on location

There is a long-standing real estate market adage: ‘Housing market trends come full circle.’ Recently, in the sales market, rather than insisting on tower-type apartments, more complexes are choosing slab-type structures depending on location factors. The high land and construction costs of residential-commercial tower-type apartments make their prices a barrier to entry.

Kim Byung-gi, team leader at RealToday, explained, "If an apartment like ‘Seoul Forest Galleria Foret’ in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, is close to Seoul Forest and the Han River, designing it as a tower-type increases its value. However, in the heart of the city where views are less meaningful, slab-type apartments that focus on practicality are regaining popularity."

Meanwhile, since 2010, ‘hybrid’ complexes that maximize the advantages of both slab-type and tower-type structures have also appeared. Hybrid types have tower-type buildings inserted between slab-type buildings in L or V shapes. They offer relatively easy access to natural lighting, ventilation, and views, and because the buildings do not face each other directly, privacy intrusion is minimized. Kim said, "In areas with some natural surroundings like streams or parks, people want both views and practicality, so hybrid structures are filling a niche market."