Sewoon redevelopment

SEWOON ARCADE REDEVELOPMENT

Urban Design Proposal Seoul, South Korea Audrey Plummer & Melissa Ting

Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul | 01

02 | Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul

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.

04 | Georgia Institute of Technology Studio | Sewoon Arcade Redevelopment | Seoul

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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