White Stone Seoul · v1.0 atelier — editorial monograph Prepared for Ginza Diamond Shiraishi · 2026
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White Stone · Seoul · Architecture by Kengo Kuma
01 · of 12
No. 01 · Volume i — Architecture Photography by Kim Hongseok

White Stone Seoul.

Architecture
Kengo Kuma & Associates

Located at
70 Sowol-ro, Yongsan-ku

Completed
2024
An editorial introduction to the building, its architecture, and its three maisons. scroll to begin
01Project Statement
— Pages 02 / 03

"Jewelry should be experienced not merely as adornment, but as art — woven into the rhythm of everyday life."

Located in the heart of Yongsan, overlooking Namsan Mountain Park, this seven-level building has been reimagined by Kengo Kuma & Associates as a contemporary cultural space. Its distinctive multi-level structure gives rise to a sequence of varied gallery environments, where spatial diversity becomes part of the visitor experience.

The exterior, finished in deep tones and articulated by a forest of slender vertical steel fins, softly dissolves into its surroundings as it captures reflections of the sky and greenery. Crossing into the interior, visitors are invited to leave behind the familiarity of the city and enter a more contemplative realm.

At the top, a rooftop sculpture garden offers an open-air platform that connects art, the urban landscape of Seoul, and the natural presence of Namsan.

— Kengo Kuma & Associates 2024 · KKAA Studio Statement
02Photographic Essay

A building in five frames.

Photography · Kim Hongseok
2024 · Seoul
The blackened façade dissolves into the ginkgo trees of Sowol-ro — a building in quiet dialogue with Namsan.
/ 01 Exterior · West elevation
Brushed steel fins, hand-finished — the architect's quiet handprint.
/ 02 Façade detail
Cast concrete stair core — the building's vertical spine.
/ 03 Interior · stair
The rooftop garden — Namsan Tower glowing across the trees.
/ 04 Rooftop · summer
The cathedral-scale white cube carved beneath the street.
/ 05 B1 · Gallery
Hung suspensions, an exhibition in progress.
/ 06 Gallery · installation view
03Sectional Drawings

A vertical
narrative.

Drawings ©
Kengo Kuma & Associates
Scale 1:100
B1 floor plan · scale 1:100
B1 floor plan

The building is a sequence of seven distinct spaces, threaded by a single concrete stair core.

From the underground gallery — carved beneath the street and reaching the building's full structural depth — up through bridal showrooms, lounges, and reception, the section is shaped as much by atmosphere as by program.

R06 / 06Rooftop Lounge · open-air sculpture deck
405 / 06Ginza Diamond Shiraishi Showroom
304 / 06Private Champagne Lounge
203 / 06EXELCO Diamond Showroom
102 / 06Reception · entry threshold
B01 / 06White Stone Gallery
04The Six Floors

Six chapters,
top down.

Each spread that follows is a single floor — its photograph, its place in the building's vertical sequence, and its programme. Read in order, or jump to the maison you came for.

/ R · ROOFTOP
Chapter R · 06 / 06
Rrooftop

Rooftop Lounge.

An open-air sculpture deck and champagne lounge framed by ginkgo and grasses, looking out to Namsan Tower at dusk. Twelve guests at the monthly invitation-only Sunset Salon.

Area
90 sqm · outdoor
Programme
Salon · Events
Reserve the salon
/ 4F · GDS SHOWROOM
Chapter 4 · 05 / 06 · Maison
4F

Ginza Diamond Shiraishi.

A bridal showroom suspended above the city — where Japanese craftsmanship meets the soft vertical light of Kengo Kuma's façade. Couples are seen one pair at a time, by appointment.

Area
140 sqm
Maison since
Tokyo, 1995
Enter the showroom
/ 3F · LOUNGE
Chapter 3 · 04 / 06 · Private
3F

The private salon.

The private champagne salon that connects the two showroom floors — conversation, ceremony, and the slow unveiling of a chosen piece. The building's quietest room.

Area
120 sqm
Programme
Salon · Reserved
Reserve the salon
/ 2F · EXELCO SHOWROOM
Chapter 2 · 03 / 06 · Maison
2F

EXELCO Diamond.

The Belgian house of master cutters — four generations of cutting, presented as sculpture. Each diamond catches the building's vertical light. Mont des Arts premières inside the gallery below.

Area
140 sqm
Maison since
Antwerp, 1881
Enter the showroom
/ 1F · RECEPTION
Chapter 1 · 02 / 06 · Entry
1F

The first quiet inhale.

Cast concrete, floating glass stairs, and the in-house concierge. The threshold from the noise of Sowol-ro into the building's contemplative interior. No appointment needed for the ground floor.

Area
60 sqm
Hours
11:00 — 19:00
Plan a visit
/ B1 · WHITE STONE GALLERY
Chapter B · 01 / 06 · Gallery
B1

White Stone Gallery.

A double-height white cube carved beneath the street. Sixty years of contemporary art curation, now opening in Seoul for the first time. Six rotating exhibitions a year, public on weekends.

Area
230 sqm
Gallery since
Tokyo, 1967
Visit gallery ↗
05Material Study

Concrete, glass,
shadow & light.

Material specification
KKAA · 2024
/ 01 · façade
Vertical fins
Brushed steel · matte black
/ 02 · stair core
Cast concrete
Bare formwork · hand-finished
/ 03 · 4F showroom
Gallery plaster
White lime · directional light
/ 04 · rooftop
Sky deck
Sustainable timber · oiled
06Three Maisons

Under one roof.

Three houses, three histories, one building. Each maison maintains its own atelier, its own appointment book, and its own quiet hours.

4F · Bridal

Ginza Diamond Shiraishi

Tokyo · est. 1995

Japanese bridal craftsmanship presented inside a contemporary gallery context. Bespoke design, hand-set, by appointment.

Visit showroom
2F · High Jewelry

EXELCO Diamond

Antwerp · est. 1881

The Belgian house of master cutters — four generations in Antwerp's diamond district, presented as sculpture in Seoul.

Visit showroom
B1 · Contemporary Art

White Stone Gallery

Tokyo · est. 1967

Sixty years of contemporary art curation, opening in Seoul for the first time. Six rotating exhibitions annually.

Visit gallery ↗
07Visit

Reserve a quiet hour.

Open
11 — 19 · Closed Mon

Location

70 Sowol-ro,
Yongsan-ku.

Seoul · South Korea

3 min from Namsan Park
2 min from Sookmyung Univ. Stn.

Open in Naver Map ↗

By Appointment

Bridal salon

One couple at a time, 90 minutes.
4F · Ginza Diamond Shiraishi.

+82 (02) 794 — 0000

Diamond salon

Private viewings of EXELCO collections.
2F · By advance booking.

book@newart.seoul

General

Gallery & rooftop

B1 White Stone Gallery is open weekends without appointment. R · Rooftop Lounge is by invitation only.

press@whitestone-gallery.co.kr

book@newart.seoul

white
stone
A vertical dialogue between architecture, jewelry, and contemporary art — three maisons sharing one Kengo Kuma façade in the heart of Seoul.
Edition · v1.0
Issued · May 2026

Architecture
Kengo Kuma & Associates
Photography
Kim Hongseok
Plans · ©KKAA
White Stone Building

70 Sowol-ro
Yongsan-ku, Seoul
11 — 19 · Closed Mon

Maisons
Ginza Diamond Shiraishi · 4F EXELCO Diamond · 2F White Stone Gallery · B1
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Press & Reservations
book@newart.seoul press@whitestone-gallery.co.kr +82 (02) 794 — 0000
© 2026 NEW ART Group · White Stone Building Seoul Editorial designed in Taipei · Set in Cormorant & Inter