For Club Octagon, design means more than eye-candy

By Kwaak Je-yup

Picking the right name for a club is not the easiest process; the end result often turns out too abstract, downright silly or both.

The team behind Club Octagon in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, avoided this problem before their opening last November because they had a masterplan. Unlike many clubs, the newest contender for the city’s nightlife throne, there is a concrete party philosophy that drives the hype surrounding it.

The geometrical shape represents more than the ubiquitous polygonal pattern in its interior design. Every minute detail of the floor plan was calculated and adjusted several times expressly for the specific experiences inside these spaces. It was a mammoth ensemble project that had every party activity in mind including the exchange of telephone number.

“We were not subordinate to the club management,” said Baik Ji-won, the head architect of the firm Urbantainer. “They were wonderful partners. Every aspect was coordinated between all of us, (with regards to) the building materials, their properties, the structures that bring all of them together.”

As a regular clubber himself, Baik said he and his associates went in fully anticipating challenges. The mission included a glass elevator in the center of the dance floor, an open, full-size kitchen to serve hors-d’oeuvres and even a swimming pool next to the DJ booth — without compromising the acoustic balance, the most important factor for music fans. One has to be there to see them all in full glory: they somehow managed to fit everything in.

On the main dance floor, four loudspeakers from British specialists Funktion-One stand in a perfect square, with the sound waves all meeting in the center. Standing right there, it does feel like you have been hit by a force resembling an oncoming high-speed train — but without the physical pain in the ears often felt by clubbers.

“Our (products) deliver involving experiences without the harshness usually associated with the high-power loudspeaker systems,” said David Bruml at Funktion-One, one of the last independent English designers and manufacturers and located in a tiny village of Beare Green, Surrey, about 48 km south of London. “The sound respects order, geometry and proper alignment. Proper orientation in a space has a big effect on how the sound comes across.”

DJs and clubbers alike have been positively impressed, according to nightlife circle sources. Even the management is even happy. The operation is currently led by Choi Hyun, formerly of Club Heaven, Seoul's nightlife staple in the past.

But this is, after all, a business. Urbantainer, hitherto best known for its involvement with the Platoon Kunsthalle, unofficial focal point of the city’s subculture scene, and its architects said that none of their clients has gone out of business — ever — because they are able to harmonize the operational functions of their clients with, well, beauty.

Cost, often the biggest obstacle for a club, was taken to the heart of the matter, they said.

“One of the things we threw out from the beginning was the thought that we are ‘designing’ something,” said Baik. “Had we used the best materials, we would have had an easier time and even built a great-looking portfolio, but we understood it was more important for the club to have better a better sound and media.”

Therefore, an interactive 4D lighting that responds to patrons’ movements was added instead a marble table.

Last Saturday, when this reporter was present at the scene, it never felt crowded to be in the three-storied space. Smoke machines were in full force, yet an impeccable ventilation system made it disappear in no time. Boys and girls exchanged numbers in that designated area, reasons unbeknownst to them. Oysters and caprese salads were served instead of the tired fruit plates typical of local clubs.

“We are in it for the long term,” said Baik. “We are even thinking ahead to the days when Korean clubbers will no longer drink around separate (VIP) tables and move to a bar.”

He seemed more than confident that Club Octagon would reign for a very long time.