Transparent Seunsangga. City Walk International Design Competition Entry

Seunsangga’s history is rather peculiar. It was built on a portion of land originally cleared in 1944, during the Japanese domination, in order to prevent fires caused by aerial bombings from spreading from one part of the city to the other. After the Korean War the firebreaker was occupied by squatters, creating a strong barrier to the city’s continuity between east and west. One of the goals of Soo Geun Kim’s project was that of using the new building to reconnect the severed urban fabric. But eventually the free-plan ground floor was saturated with shops, and the connection again interrupted. Therefore, our design aims to instate a greater permeability between the east and west sides of Seunsangga, stressing the importance of the primary roads belonging to the city’s original fabric. The public realm of the building’s ground floor will thus be dedicated to recreating the severed continuity of the urban fabric. Opening up these spaces is not only meant to create an enjoyable, well-proportioned area for walking and leisure: it also intends to achieve a greater visibility of the natural landscape. Seoul’s site was originally chosen because of the presence of some important natural features, among which the range of hills circling the city center to the north, and the Namsan to the south. Today the presence of the hills is scarcely felt, given Seoul’s intensive vertical growth, which was heralded, at the end of the 1960’s, by Seunsangga’s construction. Our decision to open up space is also propelled by the wish of bringing the hilly landscape back into view. Especially when walking on top of the pedestrian deck, the profiles of Namsan to the south, and Bugaksan to the north will become more clearly visible, providing orientation and giving renewed importance to the high symbolic value of the mountains for the city.