Car brand Kia has presented its EV5 model at an educational complex in Gyeonggi province in the latest instalment of our video series pairing its electric vehicles with contemporary South Korean architecture.

The EV5 model expands Kia‘s electric line-up with a fully electric mid-sized SUV designed for everyday and family use.



The EV5 introduces Kia’s latest mid-sized electric SUV

The model has a wide, upright front and a solid bonnet, giving it a more substantial appearance than many compact electric cars.

Its boxy profile is defined by geometric surfacing, vertical lines and square fenders, forming what the brand refers to as a “dynamic box” typology suited to the C-SUV segment.

The EV5 is designed for everyday and family use

This approach is intended to maximise interior space while maintaining a clean, simple exterior.

The EV5’s interior follows Kia’s Opposites United design approach, with a simplified layout focused on a panoramic display and integrated storage.

The EV5 was filmed at an academy set against the forested mountains of Yangpyeong

The video was filmed at Medongaule Seongok Seowon Academy, a contemporary educational complex by Seung H-Sang of Iroje Architects.

The project reinterprets the historic seowon typology – formerly private academies located in remote, scenic settings.

A colonnaded walkway connects the academy’s stepped platforms and courtyard spaces

It is arranged across a gently sloping site within Medongaule Garden in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi province.

The academy is structured as a sequence of courtyards, stepped platforms and circulation routes defined by exposed concrete framing.

Large boulders anchor the lower courtyard beneath the elevated passageway

The primary courtyard contains a single Maehwa tree, a species traditionally associated with seowon grounds, set within a rectilinear plan.

Key buildings include a lecture hall, a pavilion positioned to overlook the surrounding pine forest and a tower that provides elevated views across the garden and adjacent pond.

Openings in the concrete frame offer views of the surrounding garden and seasonal planting

A lower courtyard connects directly to this water feature, forming an intermediary zone between the academy and the wider landscape.

The arrangement completes the academy as a network of learning spaces, quiet resting points and vantage platforms integrated into the topography.

The film reflects how architecture and mobility align around ideas of sanctuary

In the video, Kia’s EV5 model is set within the academy’s courtyards, concrete structures and stepped terrain.

By situating the car at Medongaule Seongok Seowon Academy, the latest film reflects how architecture and mobility align around ideas of sanctuary, connection to nature and calmer modes of contemporary living.

The project forms part of Dezeen and Kia’s ongoing collaboration, which pairs new electric vehicle design with contemporary Korean architecture to explore design connections across mobility and architecture.

Previous instalments in the series profiled a contemporary bathhouse, a hotel drawing on hanok construction and a sprawling arboretum home to buildings by Álvaro Siza.

Partnership content

This video series was produced by Dezeen in partnership with Kia. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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