'Please Not My Home'... Motel View, Retaining Wall View, Wall View: The Worst Apartments That Infuriate Residents [Curiosity Lab]

Recently completed apartments in Seocho-gu have been embroiled in controversy since construction. Contrary to the promotional claims that some units overlooking a nearby small mountain would have garden views outside their windows, the hillside was exposed as a retaining wall. Buyers expressed frustration, saying they had purchased a 'retaining wall view.' On the 3rd, we visited the site. Next to the controversial building was a forest experience center run by a foundation. From the center, the interiors of some units were clearly visible, and although the hillside was somewhat managed, it still appeared uncomfortable.

A view of an apartment adjacent to the slope next to the forest experience center on the 3rd [Asia Economy]

The value of an apartment depends on its location and the view it offers. Historically and currently, the ideal is to have a mountain at the back and water in front. If the Han River is visible in front of a mountain, that is the best. Examples include Hannam The Hill and Nine One Hannam. Even without a mountain, a Han River view alone is highly valued. Mountains themselves also add value to views. Representative examples include Namsan View, Bukhansan View, Bugaksan View, and Inwangsan View. Views of streams such as Yangjaecheon, Cheonggyecheon, Hongjecheon, and Seongbukcheon are also preferred. Views of royal tombs where kings worked and slept are popular as well. Views of Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and royal tombs are among the favored views. On the other hand, there are the worst views that residents would never want to imagine.

A bird's-eye view of an apartment complex shaped like the letter 'D' with a motel inside the complex

In Gunpo, an apartment complex was involved in a motel view controversy. The complex is shaped like a 'ㄷ' (a Korean consonant resembling a U-shape), with a five-story motel operating in the center. The complex surrounds the motel like a folding screen, so some units inevitably face the motel. The construction company tried to acquire the motel, but the price was not agreeable, resulting in an apartment complex with a motel view, essentially embracing the motel. In Daegu, some units of an apartment that began occupancy in March have living room windows completely blocked by a motel building. The motel is located right next to the 'ㄱ'-shaped apartment. Walking a few steps from the apartment leads directly to the motel. The motel had been operating there before the apartment was built. The motel is not at fault. Residents express outrage, saying they were not informed about the motel right in front during the sales contract. One prospective resident vented frustration in an interview with KBS Daegu Gyeongbuk. It is reported that residents are considering legal action.

KBS News capture reporting controversy over an apartment complex located next to a motel

Views involving the deceased vary depending on who the deceased are. Views of royal tombs where kings are buried are highly valued, but the scenery must not be damaged. An apartment complex in Geomdan was controversially saved after concerns about damaging the view of Jangneung in Gimpo. Seoul's plan to redevelop the Sewoon District area from Jongmyo to Toegye-ro has sparked debate over whether it would damage the view of Jongmyo. UNESCO requested a report from the Cultural Heritage Administration on the status of Jongmyo, which brought the issue to light.

The 'Cheonggyecheon Euljiro Preservation Coalition' conducted a landscape simulation around Jongmyo and found that if a residential-commercial complex up to 200 meters tall is built in the Sewoon District, about 120 meters of the upper part of the building would be visible from the Jeongjeon Hall of Jongmyo. The Pungnap City Geukdong Apartments in Pungnap-dong, Songpa-gu, consist of three buildings with a total of 442 households. They are famous for their slide or triangular shape. The buildings were designed to rise in a triangular form starting from the apartments closest to the nearby Pungnap Fortress. Conversely, an apartment complex in a province was promoted as being surrounded by mountains and parks, a forest zone, but it became controversial because hundreds of units have views of graves, a 'grave view.'

City Geukdong Apartment built in a triangular or slide shape to prevent landscape damage to Pungnap Toseong Fortress

The apartment known as the ultimate retaining wall view is located in Pangyo. The retaining wall reaches up to the 11th to 12th floors of the apartment. This is because the site had to be excavated 30 meters deep due to altitude restrictions related to airplane flight paths. One of the worst views is the 'wall view.' This occurs when another apartment is built very close in front of an existing apartment, so opening the window reveals only the wall of the neighboring apartment.

A KBS News screenshot reporting on the apartment in Pangyo with the retaining wall view controversy

In fact, many wall views exist even within the same apartment complex. This is because new apartments are built maximizing floor area ratio and building coverage ratio. Simply put, the floor area ratio is the vertical building density, and the building coverage ratio is the horizontal building density. For example, a floor area ratio of 900% and a building coverage ratio of 50% means that half of the land area is covered by buildings, and the height of those buildings is nine times the land area. Everyone wants to live in a home with an open view. However, as preferences for apartments continue and many people want high-rise apartments on limited land, unless one is a multi-billion won asset owner, expectations for views must be somewhat lowered in this era.