PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Jeong-dong Floating Forest

Hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government, the design competition called for proposals for a new historic cultural space in the most historically important street, Sejong-daero, which is the main axis that links the center of city and the King's Palaces (Gyrongbokgung and Deoksugung) The actual site is located where The National Tax Service Building (built in the Japanese Colonial Period in 1935) used to stand, and the building was recently demolished by Seoul Metropolitan Government to accommodate a space for the project.  

Studio MMK proposed an underground cultural space that includes Seoul City's history archive and public open space that links to the existing underground pedestrian network. By preserving the remained concrete structures plus overlaying a new brick surface, the visitors can experience different layers of history of the site.  On the ground level, a 'floating forest' is proposed in order to provide the visitors with a calm and poetic shelter from the wide street with heavy traffic.   The forest is slightly lifted up from the ground level, creating unique pedestrian experience and harmonized streetscape with the historical context around the site.

Masterplan: Future Expansion

The masterplan envisions future underground expansion below Sejong-daero from the proposed underground space of the site to the existing City Hall.  This future expansion space will be a circulation node that connects the existing underground network to north and south, and will also provide the Seoul citizens with exhibition, lecture, and public event space that are related to history of modern architecture and history of Jeong-dong area.  

Design Process:

1. Preserving existing structure from demolished building.

2. Inside-out: transforming existing underground space into open space, exposing old structures overlaid by new brick surface.

3. Interconnecting context with proposed space by creating a pedestrian network that links Jeongdong, Deoksugung palace, existing underpath and the City hall across the street.

4. Floating Forest: Proposing a quite-calm open space/park filled with trees that is spatially separated from adjacent street with heavy traffic (Sejong-daero)

Underground Space: Materiality of existing concrete and brick in underground space

By preserving and exposing existing buildings concrete slabs, walls and columns below grade, and transforming it to below-grade open space, visitors can experience the layers of the past and present as walking into the space.  Brick is used in the 'new' surfaces including interior exhibition / archive space, the material mainly used for buildings in early 1900s in Jeongdong.  The strategy of overlaying the new material (brick) on the existing (concrete) is like adding another layer of present onto the layer of past, inspired by Peter Zumthor's Kolumba museum in Koln.  

Urban Forest: Pagoda Tree and Madang

Traditionally, the Pagoda tree had been planted in the important places such as king's palaces and gardens, which also can be often found in Jeong-dong and Deoksu palace. 23 pagoda trees planted on the structure grid coexist with the preserved columns from demolished National Tax Service building, creating an atmosphere of Madang - a open space in the traditional korean architecture.  From the street level, the silhouette of cluster of trees on the floating concrete structure creates unique streetscape, also harmonize with surrounding context such as Deoksugung palace and Seoul Anglican Cathedral.

Integrated Structural Landscape System

The proposed precast concrete arch/beam structure is proposed to enhance ceiling height of underground space, and accommodate required soil depth (900-1100mm) and water supply-drainage-heating systems for pagoda trees above. The precast system also combines new precast columns with preserved old columns performing as an integrated structural system.