A building whose outer walls are entirely made of glass, and you will not be bored if you pass by the street. It has a smooth surface and shines when exposed to sunlight, giving it an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Unlike concrete, rebar, and bricks, transparent glass is transparent and gives a sense of openness. But what if this glass building was right in front of my house? What if the living room of our house could be clearly seen from inside and outside the building?
Controversy arose as a new all-glass commercial building was built in front of an apartment in Gwangju Metropolitan City. Residents of the apartment are arguing for an invasion of privacy, saying that they can see the inside of the apartment from inside and outside the glass-fronted shopping mall. Can a glass building like this be built anywhere?
■ Only ‘ more than 30 meters’ in a straight line… “You can see it both inside and outside”
The glass commercial building and the apartment are only 33키톤벳 meters in a straight line. We face each other across a two-lane road. The apartment is 18 stories high, and the shopping center is a structure that connects two buildings of 5 and 10 stories. Considering that the floor height of a commercial building is much higher than that of an apartment building, it is actually a similar height.Residents explain that if you look outside from inside the mall, you can see everything inside the apartment. You can see all the living things of the apartment on the other side from the shopping center. The building will include a gym, screen golf course and sauna. Residents are trembling with anxiety that their privacy will be exposed to those who use shopping malls.
There’s another problem. The whole glass reflects the apartment’s image. People passing by on the street can see it, and residents of other floors of the apartment can see each other reflected in the glass. As a result of the actual reporters going to the evening and watching the situation, the situation was even more serious. Through the glass on the other side, I could clearly see all over the house, including a man wearing underwear and taking a break, a woman riding an indoor bicycle, and a child walking in and out of the living room. Residents complain of discomfort, saying that they cannot open windows or curtains in their homes, where they should rest most comfortably.
Started construction last year… No regulation on the construction of ‘all-glass buildings’
Construction of the commercial building started last year. Residents say that the original commercial building in front of the apartment building was not a glass-fronted building. When the old commercial building was demolished and a new one was moved in, the residents were initially welcome. Since it is a facility that will be used by apartment residents anyway, they hoped that a new space would be created in a good building. However, when the construction screen was removed, I was astonished when the all-glass building was revealed.
However, there are no regulations regarding all-glass buildings. It was in 2010 that problems with glass-fronted buildings were known. During the construction of the Naver office building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, residents of nearby apartments filed a lawsuit claiming that they were suffering from invasion of privacy and reflection of light. An amendment to the building law to strengthen regulations has been proposed to the National Assembly, but it has been pending for three years.
Gwangju Seo-gu Office, the district office in charge, is discussing ways to persuade the building owner to apply special tinting and place a closet inside the store so that the outside cannot be seen. But it’s not easy to solve. This is because there is no law, so it is difficult for the district office to enforce compulsory measures against the owner, and the owner is also showing a lukewarm attitude. An official from the Seo-gu Office said, “We will do our best to resolve the inconveniences of residents.”The appearance of the apartment and the glass shopping mall in the evening reminded me of a decalcomani where the left and right sides are the same. A resident told reporters leaving the scene. “This building was chosen as the best place to live among apartment complexes because it is close to the entrance and exit, and although there is a shopping mall, it does not block the view. Residents’ time flows in anxiety even today.