Gansam has been named a recipient of the Technology Innovation Award at the 2026 National Industry Awards (9th National Industry Awards), hosted by the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies.

The recognition honors Gansam's three pioneering achievements: leadership in data center design, advancement of UAM (Urban Air Mobility) vertiport infrastructure, and the development of Korea's first timber apartment complex — each representing a critical turning point in Korea's industrial transformation driven through architecture.

 

Leading Korea's Digital Infrastructure with the Most Data Center Designs

Over the past two decades, Gansam has completed 77 data center projects, holding the most data center design experience of any firm in Korea. As major domestic and international IT companies accelerate investment in hyperscale data centers, Gansam continues to lead digital infrastructure development with integrated expertise spanning high-density facility planning, power systems, cooling, security, and structural resilience.

 

Notable projects include the LG CNS Busan Data Center — the first IDC in Korea to employ seismic isolation structures — the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology HPC Center, the first HPC facility in Korea to introduce liquid cooling technology, and the Samsung Electronics DS HPC Center, the first HPC center in Korea to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Gansam is further expanding its capabilities through data center projects aligned with global hyperscaler standards, including an AI data center in Indonesia — the first overseas data center project undertaken by a Korean firm.

 

 

 

Pioneering UAM Vertiport Design — Korea's First Urban Air Mobility Infrastructure Model

Gansam became the first Korean architectural firm to participate in UAM vertiport infrastructure design, developing a new design methodology that integrates aviation, transportation, urban planning, and architecture. By redefining challenges in safety, noise, circulation, and airspace through an architectural lens, Gansam contributed to establishing the ground-based framework for Korea's UAM industry ecosystem — a contribution recognized with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Commendation in 2025.

 

 

 

Korea's First Timber Apartment Complex — A Green Housing Experiment Toward Carbon Neutrality

Through the Gaeunsan Village project in Jongam-dong, Seoul, Gansam is pioneering Korea's first timber apartment complex. To apply mass timber construction — proven in carbon reduction — to large-scale multi-family housing for the first time, Gansam is undertaking comprehensive technical innovation: proactively interpreting relevant regulations and structural codes, developing new approaches to fire resistance, and restructuring conventional reinforced concrete-centric construction practices. Upon completion, the project is expected to serve as a landmark green housing model that demonstrates architecture's potential for carbon reduction.

 

Creating a 'Better Landscape of Life' Through Technical Innovation

Guided by the vision of a "Better Landscape of Life," Gansam's team of over 700 architects, urban planners, landscape architects, and specialists pursues integrated design that addresses social, economic, and environmental challenges through architecture.

CEO Taijip Kim commented: "This award reflects recognition that Gansam has been preparing — through architecture — for the key transitions in Korea's industry, from digital infrastructure and future mobility to sustainable housing. We will continue to create landscapes where people, cities, and the environment grow together, grounded in technical innovation."

 

 

 

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