EAGON Windows & Doors Co., Ltd. has installed system windows and doors at the newly built chancellery of the Embassy of Switzerland in Korea, a project nicknamed the ‘Swiss Hanok.’
The Embassy of Switzerland in Korea is the country’s first embassy built in the hanok (traditional Korean house) style. Designed by architect Nicolas Bosset of the Swiss architecture firm Burckhardt Partner together with Lee In-ho, CEO of Lae Architects, it opened in May as a ‘new hanok’ that blends the traditional Korean house with distinctive Swiss features.
The ‘Swiss Hanok’ was selected as the first-place winner, beating out more than 70 competitors, in the embassy design competition held by the Swiss government in 2012. As the Korean market grew in importance for Switzerland, a concept that could honor the cultures of both nations was adopted. The Swiss Embassy is also an eco-friendly building, having been constructed with materials that improve indoor energy efficiency to reduce the electricity consumed for heating and cooling.
For the ‘Swiss Hanok’ project, EAGON focused on preserving the tradition of the classic hanok while maximizing performance. To this end, it developed and applied the premium timber entrance door WDS 90 CUSTOM as a product exclusive to the Swiss Embassy. Developed on the basis of the WDS 90, the WDS 90 CUSTOM features a design incorporating special British solid timber that is highly resistant to force and warping, along with triple glazing, delivering superior insulation and soundproofing compared to typical metal entrance doors. By adopting a design currently used in high-end European homes, it creates a modern and sophisticated atmosphere.
The Embassy of Switzerland in Korea also features the ‘CONNEX’ series, composite system windows that combine aluminum and timber. EAGON’s CONNEX series consists of composite-material windows finished with timber over hardware equipped with functional accessories. While maintaining the formal beauty of the hanok, it resolves issues of opening and closing performance, soundproofing, insulation, and airtightness, and even ensures security stability.
Compared to ordinary timber windows, it exhibits less bending or deformation of the wood, and the slim frame elevation design of the fixed windows provides expansive views. Designed as a single-window structure in which aluminum and timber are joined into a single frame, it also minimizes the area the windows occupy within the interior space. It is eco-friendly, using top-grade FAS (First & Second Grade) timber—the highest grade of wood used in furniture making—and it captures the natural feel of solid wood to complete an elegant interior.
In particular, the CWS 67 TT from the CONNEX series, applied at the chancellery, is a timber system window that can simultaneously implement a Turn function—opening inward for entry and glass cleaning—and a Tilt function for ventilation only. Combined with fixed windows, it allows for a variety of design configurations, making it well suited not only to residential spaces but also to offices, commercial facilities, and other settings. The timber species can also be freely chosen to match the usage environment and interior atmosphere.
Meanwhile, alongside timber windows suitable for contemporary hanok, EAGON is also contributing to the revitalization of hanok architecture by presenting ‘Yedamchang,’ Korean-style windows that can be applied to traditional hanok. Yedamchang is an energy-saving Korean-style system window that combines the beauty of traditional windows with system-window technology to greatly enhance insulation and airtightness performance. It is characterized by the use of a multi-point locking system, which addresses the security vulnerability of conventional hanok.