The campus was hemmed in by forested hills like a folding screen, and the architect’s anguish over removing them for building design was hardly unique. Amid the severely constrained campus site selection, the original intent of preserving nature intact even by filling the athletic field for construction proved impossible, ultimately requiring intervention in the natural landscape. Design began with minimal environmental disruption and forest restoration as paramount goals, yet accommodating over 4,000 pyeong (about 13,223 sq. m.) of facilities atop a small hill was no simple task.

Four wings radiate from a central lobby, terraced along contour lines in a desperate effort to preserve natural order. Too large and weighty a mass perched atop the scenic district’s hill crest would oppress the mountain, so the mass was articulated into five segments, with circulation and rest spaces placed at each junction; the building’s ends with emergency stairs were set back to conform to the slope. The terraced edges naturally form balconies which serve as rest areas compensating for limited indoor space. 

Pedestrians approach via pilotis in the central connector from the south, enjoying campus views, while vehicles enter from the elevated rear. The building’s signature feature is the steel truss bridge linking the two southern wings, creating passage and lobby space with sunset views of Yeouido and the Han River — earning it the campus’s most romantic spot.