SEWOON ARCADE REDEVELOPMENT
Urban Design Proposal Seoul, South Korea Audrey Plummer & Melissa Ting
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Introduction Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 03
Introduction Audrey Plummer & Melissa Ting While the government and private developers have frog-marched the major areas of Seoul into a western image, huge swaths of Seoul continue to embody the haste of a post-Korean War redevelopment plan. Though at first glance the blocks may seem to be laid out in a grid, they are not. What looks to be grids is a superblock structure with dendritic alleys that pierce into the bowels of these blocks. Historically, rectangular buildings along the edges of these blocks housed shops and commercial functions. The long side of rectangle faced the street, allowing less density of frontage along the street. In some instances, these one-andtwo story structures have given way to midrise commercial and office. This shiny new exterior only serves to further distance us from life inside of these blocks. The interior buildings house both residential and commercial functions and are tightly packed and impenetrable to visitors. In the 60s and 70s the government funded a series of redevelopment efforts, one of which are the Sewoon buildings. The complex was designed by renowned Korean architect Kim Swoo Guen, a founding father of modernism in Korean architecture. These long rectangular buildings span four superblocks. Two of the buildings have been retrofitted and renovated. The other two are still used for whole-sale merchants, and part of the northernmost buildings has been torn down for use as a park. The purpose of this design workshop was two-fold: First, how do you architecturally redesign the existing buildings to be serviceable in 21st century Korean life and Second, how do you redesign the surrounding urban fabric to keep the character of the old Korean blocks but still give residents a better quality of life.
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SITE
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1/2 Mile Radius
1/4 Mile Radius 775’
400’
925’
375’
’
1,100
515’
630’
515’
575’ 575’
925’
650’
160’
750’
950’
475’
725’
475’
150’
700’
725’
’
1,125
650’
725’ 725’
375’
525’
160’
625’
725’
750’
160’
800’
150’
Context - Block Size
575’
0
725’
475’
0
200’
Context - Block structure
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500’
500’
1000’
2000’
Metro Station
Metro Station
Metro Station
0
200’
400’
800’
Existing Figure Ground
Aerial View
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Existing Sewoon Arcade
North Arcade Northern Facade
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North Arcade Southern Facade
South Arcade Northern Facade
Southern Arcade looking down at attached arcade
Surrounding Site Aerial
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Sewoon Arcade - Structural Plan
112.2m
6.6m
13.2m
8.6m 8m 40m
24m
198m
Ground floor
198m
2nd floor
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3rd floor
105.6m
85m
28m
85.8m
184.8m
46.2m
4th-5th floor
6th floor
only this tower has floors 8-12
5th-12th* floor
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Sewoon Arcade - Building Sections
8
Residential Tower Beyond 4000 800
432
250
800
1688
324
682
322
Arcade
Ar
360
62
20 242
62 62
Arcade
278
20 240
20
62
62
800
20 168 20
800
350
800
Typical Typical Cross Section Section with Residential Tower in Background Scale 1:200 1 : 200
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Typic 1 : 20
4000 800
800
800
800
Atrium
150 316 308 306
2673
305
62 20 224 62
20 223
62 350
Typical Section thru Residential Tower Atrium 1 : 200
324
682
322
Arcade
360
62
20 242
62 20 240 62
Arcade
278
682
1688
20
432
62 20 226
62 20 234
20 292
366
800
de
800
Typical Section Through Residential Tower - Atrium Scale 1:200
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Design Proposals Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 17
Incremental Redevelopment
Since the end of the Korean War, Seoul has transformed
Architecture, is slated to be demolished to make way for a linear
itself from Asia’s gritty underbelly into a glittering metropolis.
park. Stretching four blocks between a shrine and a major green
Redevelopment of low-rise, cramped residences and commercial
space, the concrete Sewoon Arcade is one of the first grand moves
areas has been paramount in this effort. Under encouragement
of modern architecture. While the building of this project surely
from Seoul’s government, private development corporations razed
displaced many residents, destroying these culturally significant
huge swaths of the city to make way for new high-rise residential
buildings is not the best course of action. Instead, these building
and office parks. Today, one of the first attempts at massive urban
can be renovated and repurposed for residential and commercial
renewal is coming under fire. The Sewoon Arcade, built by Kim
use.
Swoo Guen one of the founding fathers for modernism in Korean
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Strategy 1: Building Because the building is so wide, the only program it can hold is wholesale retail space. Therefore, we propose strategically cutting into the building to create smaller dimensioned spaces conducive to residential use.
North building
South building
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1. Original Building
2. Remove 3rd-floor walkway
3. Remove bays to accomodate residential program
4
Retain
structure
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original
Proposed Massing
Structure Extracted Mass Existing Mass
Proposed Program
Residential Retail
Proposed Public, Communal, Private
Public Communal Private
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Interior view from apartment Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 23
Strategy 2: Street The current street is dark and unfriendly because it is covered by the 3rd floor elevated promenade. Removing this overhang brings light and air to street level. Vines grow on the repurposed structure adding a unique element to the streetscape.
RESTAURANT
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
COFFEE SHOP
BIKE
COFFEE SHOP
BIKE
RETAIL
RETAIL
Plan
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
COFFEE SHOP
RESIDENTIAL
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RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
Section
RETAIL
COFFEE SHOP
BIKE
RETAIL
COFFEE SHOP
RESIDENTIAL BIKE
RETAIL RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RETAIL
RESTAURANT
Section
COFFEE SHOP
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL
RETAIL
RESTAURANT
RETAIL
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL
RETAIL
COFFEE SHOP RETAIL
Section
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RETAIL
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Street view in the evening Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 27
Strategy 3: Block The urban design scheme employs an incremental redevelopment
N
strategy that is sensitive to existing alleys and property owners.
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FInal Urban Design Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 29
Phasing Plan
0’
200’ 100’
0’
400’ 300’
200’ 100’
0’
500’
400’ 300’
Current conditions
Existing paths
400’ 300’
200’ 100’
500’
500’
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Phase 1: retrofit Seewoon building
Phase 2: rebuild near the Sewoon building
0’
Phase 3: Build out as possible
0’
Final urban design
200’ 100’
400’ 300’
200’ 100’
400’ 300’
200’
0’ 100’
500’
500’
400’ 300’
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500’
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Skyline view from apartment Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 33
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