EX
LOC ATIO N HIS TO
IND
ORY SITE STE EL HOU SIN G ISSU E
SITE LOCATION URBAN CONTEXT
Mullae is a neighbourhood within the Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul, South Korea. Mullae-dong 4(sa)-ga area is located in the south west part of the Mullae-dong area. It is a part of the Japanese Urban Fabric left since the time of japanese occupation in Korea. The entire area is designed in a grid format. It went through several stages of change in term of usage but the footprint still remains largely the same as it was initially planned.
Today, the area is of mixed usage mainly including steel factories and residential housings (but many residents are moving out of the area). Even though the area surrounding have many newly-built residential housings, Mullae-dong 4(sa)-ga remains as a low-rise area among higher rise buildings. While this site is within close proximity to a number of transport routes, other issues such as walkability and access to green spaces should be looked into. It is important to rejuvenate the place in order to promote better integration among different users around this space.
SEOUL
YEONGDEUNGPO
MULLAE
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
SITE LOCATION SITE LANDMARKS
While Mullae is traditionally an industrial district, recent development of shopping malls such as Time Square and D-Cube City makes this area more lively.
Mullae Stadium
Mullae Park
Young Hak Jung
Time Square
SITE
D-Cube City
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
HIS TO
IND EX LOC ATIO
N
ORY SITE STE EL HOU SIN G ISSU E
URBAN CONTEXT
Urban Development _ shift in industry
Chosun Dynasty ~ 1910 BLACK SMITH Before colonization of Chosun, Yeondeungpo Mullaedong was occupied by the smithy. The artisans were like a factory of these days. Most of the mechanical works were made from here.
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
1912 LEATHER FACTORY After Chosun was occupied by the Japanese, the leather factory took over the place and also followed by other large factories, dealing with beer and weaving.
1940 YOUGDAN HOUSING Choseon Housing Administration constructed dwellings for the workers of the factories on the Mullae region. There were 5 types of the housing unit.
1960s STEEL FACTORY Korean government proceeded the five-Year Economic Development Plan and Yongdeungpo area was reknowned as semi-industrial area. So the large factories and steel manufacturer took place along the Kyungin road.
Early 1980s SMALL MANUFACTURERS Small manufacturer gathered around Mullaedong. The government forced the factories at the Saewoon arcade to be tear down and they had to move in. After 1985 the small manufacturers had a growth and aproximately 2000 companies were settled.
Late 1980s MIGRATION The policy of the Korean administration was to move out the factories in Seoul to the suburbs such as Shi heung. This led to the migration of 10 large factories from Mullaedong. And the site was filled with the apartment.
1990s CLOSING The large factories, such as BangRim weaving factory, Daesun flour factory, moved from the area and the steel industry wasn’t as properous. There were about 200 stores closing up.
Early 2000s START UP PROJECT The city organized a plan for creating valley for the start-ups. 2000~ ARTIST GROUP As the steel manufacturers moved out, there were empty spaces with little rental fee. The artists moved in and there lies about 90 workshops and more than 180 artists do their work at Mullae. LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
IND EX LOC ATIO N HIS TOR Y
SITE STE EL HOU SIN G ISSU E
SITE_RESEARCH
AXONOMETRIC OF BUILDING HEIGHT, ALLEY, ACCESSIBILITY AND GREEN SPACE Building height isn’t that significant in this area. As you can see from the right side very few are over 4th floor.
1F 2F 3F 4F 5F 8F
The alley in this site is quite narrower than any other areas. Since the place is maintaining the old japanese housing fabric, the alley shows the history of shifting from housing to industrial purpose.
ALLEY LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
There’s an accessibility showing on the right side of the map. This urban fabric gets densified as it concentrates on the inner site. The gap of the road are becoming thinner.
GREEN SPACE CAR WAY
SITE LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
SITE_RESEARCH ALLEY_TYPE
The complex was divided by the Gyeongseong Branch's land compartmentalization and readjustment project, and 14m of roads were built around the area. And it forms 21 large sections through 7m. The two-meter-wide road then formed two to four small households in the small section. And there is about a meter of alley between buildings.
TYPE_D TYPE_B TYPE_C TYPE_D SCALE 1:2500
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
TYPE_A
TYPE_B
TYPE_A
TYPE_C
TYPE_B
TYPE_D
TYPE_C
14M
TYPE_D 63M
1M
2M
4M
7M
3.5M
7M 6M
7M
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
SITE RESEARCH BUILDING STRUCTURE
Our site was built in the 1940s and was first constructed as a foreign residence, most of which was divided into fore and back. Either way, a fence was made with light wood for the open exterior.
STEEL_FRAME CONCRETE MASONRY WOOD SCALE 1:2500
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
SITE PROGRAMS
Land Use
Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga is dominated by small-scale steel factories mixed with a small number of individual residential buildings. Amenities such as medical and educational facilities are rare on this plot of land but are available in the nearby area. It can also be observed that residential housing mostly exist in between buildings while commercial spaces are commonly located along the main streets or at junctions.
SCALE 1:3000
Steel Related Industry
Religious buildings
Residential
Educational buildings
Commercial
Medical
Green Spaces
Public Spaces
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
SITE_RESEARCH PIPE LINE
The pipe line for the water is quite interesting in this area. Because the origin of the site is for housing but by the time it was built there wasn’t a toilet inside residence. For this reason they are having public toilets along the ways of the duct passes. The passage of the water is giving a good network for the neighbors.
FLOW OF WATER SCALE 1:2500
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
SUN STUDY
Amount of sunlight received by the low-rising level Winter Solstice Sunpath (max. Altitude 30 degrees)
Mullae has a latitude of around 37.5 degree, thus the sun has a much lower altitude during the winter. By looking at the combined shadows casted at 8am, 12pm and 4pm for both winter and summer solstices, we can analyse how the site is receiving sunlight during different seasons. Due to the high rise buildings around Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga, there is a significant amount of time that it is under shade. This is especially prevalent during winter when shades are not desirable. However, the desirable shades during summer is less significant. Certain area in the site is particularly disadvantaged during winter when sunshine can be very minimal. Hence, this remain as a potential issue that our proposal might serve to help.
Shadow Area in Summer Solstice (22nd June)
Summer Solstice Sunpath (max. Altitude 75 degrees)
Sunpath at Mullae-dong
Shadow Area in Winter Solstice (22nd December)
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
IND EX LOC ATIO N HIS TOR Y SITE
STE EL HOU SIN G ISSU E
STEEL INDUSTRY
Different steel processes found on site
Each individual factory in the area specialise in one segment of steel production. They often get jobs from bigger factories that outsource their own tasks. Therefore, there is not a matured circulation of different tasks within the area as the factories may only be tasked to do one job. However, in some cases, where the products have to pass down to the next factory to carry on, the owners often choose to give it to their neighbours to ease the transportation of goods.
Large Factory
Contractor
Project LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
Job Distribution
Metal Grinding
CNC Miling
Steel Heat Treatment Metal Coating
Steel Cutting
Steel Welding
Primary Processes
Delivery of goods to manufacturers
Assembly of parts
Secondary Processes
Post Processes LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
68% Steel Factories
STEEL INDUSTRY
First Processing Factories
Concentration of small steel factories
Second Processing Factories This area is dominated by steel-reltaed businesses. According to the different types of works they do, it is further differentiated into factories that specialise in different areas of job.
Post Processing Factories Mingle Hill State Apartment
32% Other usage
(such as cafes, grocery shops and other retail shops)
More than 80% of the land use in this area is for steel industry, with other spaces being used for small scale retails and cafes.
Mullae Park
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
STEEL FACTORIES
Workflow in Mullae steel factories
From interviews with factories workers, we are aware that they receive most of their jobs from larger firms which have too many tasks to handle. Thus, these factories often work directly with big metal companies and transport the goods directly to them. However, in some cases, they also receive jobs directly. Since each factory normally specialise in one process, they tend to give the follow-up jobs to other nearby factories as it is more convenient. 72 PriP 10SecP
There is an pretty even spread in the distribution of factories specialise in primary and secondary processes in this area. Hence creating a very complex connection network in this district.
300
39 PriP 32 SecP 4 PostP
288 factories specialise in primary processes
250
200
150
87 factories specialise in secondary processes
100
50
8 factories specialise in post processes 0
Primary Processes (PriP)
Secondary Processes (SecP)
Post Processes (PostP)
15 PriP 6 SecP
10 PriP 9 SecP
SCALE 1:2000
Primary Processes Secondary Processes Post Processes
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
IND EX LOC ATIO N HIS TOR Y SITE
HOU SIN G ISSU E
STE EL
URBAN CONTEXT Change in Urban Fabric_ Alley
1941
2018
1941
8m
1970
3m
When the Chosun Yongdan Housing first established, each residents were built in tightly. However there were enough space of roads for the public. The courtyard and the rearyard were open. LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
2018
1m
The growth in economy caused shift in the thoughts of the residents. They enlarged their territory so the yards became private area. So the alley became narrower .
The usage of the building in this area is no longer for the residential but for the steel factory. Manufacturers used the alley as the storage so the gap became tighter than as it used to be.
URBAN CONTEXT
Change in Urban Fabric_ Dwelling to Commercial
porch courtyard wc room living room
When the Chosun Yongdan Housing first established, each units were designed for single users who work at the Mullaedong for the near factory. There were 5 types and there lies a slight difference in every type. They used front and rear yard.
1941
maru kitchen room for rent
As the expansion of the housing unit goes on after Japanese colonial period they put wooden floor in between newly created area. The users made enough rooms for rent. It was composed of small kitchen with room.
1970
steel factory
The area transformed into semi-industrial area since the area was full of the workers for the steel factory. So they rennovated the previous building type into the steel factory.
2018
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
IND EX LOC ATIO N HIS TOR Y SITE
STE EL HOU SIN G ISSU E
Poor Living Condition
Site Weakness
Some of the Jjjokbang housings (a housing unit divided into smaller units for rent) can still be found in Mullae-dong 4 ga. These units are occupied by low-income individuals who either stay here for only a short period of time or a much longer period. Even though the number of residents here is decreasing, there a still a handful of residents who live here. There are 5 main issues which we would like to point out in terms of the living condition in Mullae-dong 4 ga.
The interior of the houses can be easily peeked into.
1. Noise issue from the neighbouring steel factories. 2. Lack of privacy because others can easily peek in over the short door. 3. There is no private bathroom, and the number of shower rooms is very limited.
There are many toilets around the neighbourhood but very little bathrooms are available.
4. There is a lack of outdoor leisure spaces like spaces for plants etc. 5. The Jjokbang housings are too small and packed. 6. Bad air circulation in Jjokbang units.
Many household choose to put plants on top of the building due to the lack of space.
Jjakbang units are often small and crammed, with bad hygiene and little air ventilation. LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
Traffic and Walkability
Comparison of traffic condition between steel factories in Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga and Mullae-dong Art District Area
In comparison, factories in Mullae Art Village are slightly larger in scale than the ones found in Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga. The factories in Mullae-dong Art District usually extend their shop front beyond the building boundaries to maximise working spaces; but factories in Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga generally keep to their shop boundaries and it is rare to see any factories occupying the street. This is probably due to the fact that more spaces is needed for the factories in Mullae Art Village.
Factories in Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga
Extension of shops often pose danger to pedestrians and it also narrows the walking spaces or street width which will worsen the traffic condition in the area. However, factories in both sites usually park their vehicles along the street and cause some traffic problems. There is no sidewalk for pedestrians and one simply has to walk along the parked vehicles to get around.
Factories in Mullae-dong 4(sa) ga
Factories in Mullae Art Village
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
Green Spaces and Green Connectors
Site Opportunity
Mullae-dong 4 (sa) ga is surrounded by many green spaces in the area, which include the Mullae Park as well as green spaces along Dorimcheon Stream and Anyangcheon stream. Such green spaces have extensive of fitness equipment, benches and bicycle lanes, which are all frequently utilised by park users. However, even though Mullae 4 ga is close to Dorimcheon stream, it is fairly inaccessible for one to walk over as one needs to take detour along the expressway in order to get there. More design can be explored by investigating the possibility of integrating more green corridor in the area to connect these three green areas together and enhance the walkability from park to park.
Mullae Park
Mullae Park
Site
Green spaces along Anyangcheon stream
Anyangcheon stream green park Dorimcheon stream green park
Good connections with green spaces Lack of connection with green spaces
Green spaces along Dorimcheon stream Photo on the right showing how access to green spaces from Mullae 4 ga is blocked by the express way. LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
View from P1
View from P2
View of Site
Cultivating a sense of place
Mullae Church is a prominent feature within the local landscape and can be viewed from a number of vantage points in the local area. Key views of the Church are illustrated in the adjacent plan. The height of the structure, low-lying context and absence of any natural features means the site remains a prominent landmark for this district of Japanese Urban Fabric. Hence making it an iconic building which gives rise to the sense of place in this area.
nyu -Ro
1
2
Do
View from P3
View from P4
Seo
rim
-ro
View from P5 3 5
The Mullae Church
in-
ro 7
14
ng
7-g
il
rim -ro
eo
Do
Gy
1g il
4
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
The rental here is much lower than other area. We pay around 100000 to 150000 won per month for single room or double room spaces. I share this double room with another friend.
SITE RESEARCH INTERVIEW
Most of the people who come for church services come from the high rise apartments around Mullae-dong 4 ga. For example, we have around 200 attendees per session and only around 3 are from Mullae 4 ga. This is probably due to the fact that not so many residents still remain here nowadays.
We don't have a bathroom in every store, so we use public restroom. However, public restrooms are not clean and they are offensive. So our commercial association tried to improve public restrooms at the city level. But the effect was minimal. So I want to increase toilets.
LOCATION/HISTORY/SITE/STEEL/YONGDAN/ISSUE
From our conversations with many workers and residents here, we discovered that many of the housing units have turned into factories and the number of residents here is dwindling. Some factory workers even said that they rarely see any people living here around.
I am a taxi driver. During the days when I’m not driving and resting at home, the noise from the factories can be very disturbing. They often start work at around 8.30am and end at 7pm. The number of toilets is another problem as there is limited toilets and we have to walk a distance from our homes.
There is little green space in this industrial complex. And we always work on iron processing and polishing. So our health is getting worse. I think this place needs green space.
There are about 1,600 steel industrial in the complex, and each store has owners who bring their own cars, but there is no room for such vehicles. So I want to increase parking facilities.
This catalogue is published on the occasion of the international studio between The Bartlett School of Architecture and 3rd year studio of Hanyang University ERICA . 2018 Autumn Semester
Director Prof . Soyoung Kim Cover Design by Donghoon Kim Designed by Donghoon Kim, Shinyoung Kim, Freda Yu BingJie References -A Regeneration Design Issues and Process for Regeneration Assignment of Mixed Residential-Industrial semi-industrial districts -A Study on the Role of Art&Culture Programs in Process of Urban Regeneration through the Case of Moonrae Steel Factory Art Village -Interpretation of Compound Place Identity in Mullae Creative Village, Seoul -A Study on the Site Planning and Houses constructed by Choseon Housing Administration -A Comparative Study on the Urban Regeneration by Culture and Arts in Korea and China : In Case of Seoul Mullae Art Space and Beijing 798 Dashanzi Art Zone -Suggestion of new residential space through Mullae-dong Area’s change of Choseon Housing Administration -대한 주택공사 20년사 -문화 주도 젠트리피케이션에 관한 고찰 -한국 근대 주거론