700 Newlywed Hope Town Units on Seongdong Detention Center Site... SH Corporation Announces Design Competition

City and SH Corporation Plan Residential, Cultural, and Business Complex on 84,000㎡
Includes 700 Newlywed-Focused Public Housing Units in 'Newlywed Hope Town' Totaling 1,300 Units
New Childcare, Cultural, Sports Facilities, Business and Startup Spaces to Revitalize the Area
Newlywed Hope Town Design Competition, Construction Starts in 2021... Master Plan for Entire Site to Be Established by Year-End

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] The site of the former Seongdong Detention Center, the last correctional facility from the industrialization era remaining in Seoul, is being transformed into an open residential, cultural, and office space for the surrounding area. Having been a stigmatized facility for the past 40 years and a cause of local decline, this site is expected to shed its closed-off image and become a place that revitalizes the community.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) announced on the 4th that they will hold a design competition for the 'Newlywed Hope Town (site area 21,372.8㎡)' within the former Seongdong Detention Center site at 161-162 Garak-dong, Songpa-gu. The competition targets two Newlywed Hope Town complexes (5,904.9㎡ and 15,467.9㎡), focusing on designing a multi-family housing complex with approximately 700 households.

This design competition follows the decision made in the 'Metropolitan Area Housing Supply Expansion Plan' announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the city in September 2018, which included supplying a total of 1,300 housing units, including Newlywed Hope Town, on the former Seongdong Detention Center site.

Seongdong Detention Center was used primarily to detain pretrial detainees in the northeastern area of Seoul for 40 years, from its opening in 1977 until its relocation to the Munjeong Legal Complex in June 2017. Ownership of the detention center site was transferred to SH Corporation in March 2018 through a property exchange with the Ministry of Justice.

On the total 83,777.5㎡ site, a total of 1,300 public and private residential units will be built, including 700 units of Newlywed Hope Town, along with mixed-use business and startup spaces, cultural and sports facilities, and youth facilities.

The two Newlywed Hope Town complexes will incorporate various lifestyle-oriented functions considering couples without children and those with infants and young children. Community facilities such as childcare centers, playgrounds, and study rooms will be created, along with pedestrian paths safely connecting the apartment complexes and schools. Construction is targeted to begin in the second half of 2021.

Mixed-use business and startup spaces will also be established to lead the creation of new jobs in the area. Cultural, sports, and youth facilities will be built as open facilities accessible not only to residents but also to nearby community members. New pedestrian paths will connect the detention center site with the surrounding areas that had been previously disconnected. This area is also a public transportation hub, located just a 2-minute walk (200m) from Ogeum Station on subway lines 3 and 5.

The city and SH Corporation are also inviting ideas for the entire former Seongdong Detention Center site. They aim to gather various proposals to strengthen connections and communication with the surrounding areas that had been isolated due to the detention center’s presence. Outstanding ideas will be incorporated into the district unit plan for the Seongdong Detention Center area, scheduled to be established within the year.

The final winning design will be selected in April after first and second rounds of judging by a panel of judges. The winning team will be granted the basic and detailed design rights for the 'Newlywed Hope Town.' Seoul plans to approve the housing construction project plan within the year and begin construction in the second half of 2021. Five teams with excellent design proposals will be selected in the first round, and detailed evaluations of these five teams will determine the final winner in the second round. To adopt creative and innovative designs, a panel of seven experts from various fields including urban planning, architecture, and housing has been formed. Up to five prize-winning entries, including the final winner, will be selected and design compensation of up to 100 million KRW will be awarded.

Detailed information and schedules can be found on the SH Corporation website and the 'Design Seoul' website.

Meanwhile, SH Corporation, the landowner, has been conducting a master plan (basic plan) study for the entire site, including the district unit plan, since May 2018 after the ownership transfer. The plan is to complete this by the second half of this year and proceed with projects for the remaining site in phases, excluding Newlywed Hope Town. The other multi-family housing sites, apart from Newlywed Hope Town, will be sold to the private sector after incorporating development guidelines into the district unit plan. Public contribution sites resulting from the district unit plan will have their facility basic plans directly established by the city to expand necessary facilities in the area.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.