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Seoul Masterplan Competition Korea

Yongsan International Business District design by Daniel Libeskind in Seoul

1 Jun 2009

Seoul Masterplan Competition

Design: Studio Daniel Libeskind

Studio Daniel Libeskind Wins International Master Plan Competition To Create 34 Million Square Foot, $20 Billion New Riverfront Development District In Seoul, South Korea

images © Studio AMD

Studio Daniel Libeskind has been named winner of the master plan competition for the Yongsan International Business District of Seoul, South Korea. The new large-scale district features a cluster of residential, office and retail neighborhoods in an extensive urban park along the Han River.

images © SDL

The plan, called Archipelago 21 because each of the linked neighborhoods functions like “islands” within a sea of green park space, will contain a total of 34 million square feet of built area. The $20 billion development is slated to break ground in 2011. The development entity is Yongsan Development Co., Ltd, a South Korean conglomerate. The district will also contain new cultural institutions, educational facilities and rapid transportation systems.

images © Studio AMD

“The idea is to create a 21st Century destination that is at once transformative, vibrant, sustainable and diverse,” Mr. Libeskind said. “I wanted to make each form, each place, each neighborhood as varied and distinctive as possible. The plan, and each building within it, should reflect the vertical and cultural complexity of the heart of Seoul.”

“We are proud to be selected for this major project from among so many distinguished firms,” Mr. Libeskind said. Finalists included Asymptome, Foster+Partners, Jerde Partnership and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Studio Daniel Libeskind worked with ARUP and Martha Schwartz, Inc. on the winning entry.

images © Studio AMD

Yongsan International Business District Masterplan – Dream Hub

Archipelago 21, Studio Daniel Libeskind’s design for the Yongsan International Business District, is a unique urban oasis, within the dense urban fabric of the city of Seoul, a city development which harmoniously combines the dualities of seemingly incompatible visions and brings them together into a dynamic and unified whole. Designed from the ground up – it is a development that puts people first, celebrates creativity, community, sustainability and diversity to create a vibrant city center and the soul of Seoul.

images © SDL

The main concept is a simple and bold. The site is broken into “islands” that are distinct forms that together, like an archipelago, create a composition in the landscape. Outside the islands, the site is developed into an amazing natural landscape which acts as the “sea” connecting the islands together.

Like the yin and the yang, the site balances dualities and seemingly opposing forces that are forever connected together, intertwined and interdependent in the universe – history and the future, technology and nature, urban and the suburban, vibrant city life and tranquil private settings, major development and sustainable goals.

images © Studio AMD

Seoul Masterplan – Dream Hub Yongsan IBD Building Information

Principal Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Services Provided: Master Planning, Design Guidelines
Building Area: 3 million sqm
Competition: 2009
Scheduled Completion: 2024
Landscape Design: Martha Schwartz Partners
Structural/MEP/Transportation/Sustainability Engineers: ARUP
Client: Yongsan Development Co.,Ltd.

images © SDL