Geumcheon Overpass Underpass Transformed into Multipurpose Space Including Library and Rest Area

Creating multipurpose educational and cultural spaces such as smart libraries and meeting rooms by December... Transforming into community spaces for reading and communication, improving urban landscape

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) is transforming the bleak and cluttered space under the Geumcheon Overpass (Gasan-dong, 677,341㎡) into a multifunctional educational and cultural space that combines a smart library, seminar rooms, and resting areas.

Currently, the small library located under the Geumcheon Overpass faces difficulties in promoting library use despite the high foot traffic in the area, due to poor facilities.

Additionally, the area around the library has been used as parking space for bicycles and motorcycles, with chairs scattered around, which not only detracts from the urban landscape but also causes inconvenience to residents passing through.

The district plans to first expand the size and functions of the existing 'small library' under the overpass, and create public spaces that improve the surrounding scenery, such as pedestrian paths and resting areas using louvers, to promote a culture of reading.

The first floor will be developed into a small library and a multifunctional space. The small library will be a smart library equipped with a 24-hour unmanned lending system, allowing visitors to borrow books anytime they want.

The multifunctional space can be rented out during the day for village meetings and seminars for nearby offices, and used as an educational space for residents and office workers at night.

The second floor is planned as an exhibition space for books and a resting area, creating a community space where residents can read and communicate.

This project is part of Seoul City's 'Overpass Underutilized Space Utilization Project,' which converts underused overpass spaces in the city into living SOC (Social Overhead Capital).

The district selected the winning design through a design competition in September last year and has been conducting expert consultations and detailed design work until March this year. Construction is planned to start in July, aiming for completion in December.

Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "Once the space under the overpass is developed into a multifunctional area combining a library and resting spaces, it will transform into a vibrant place frequently visited by residents and greatly enhance the urban landscape." He added, "We will continue to actively promote living SOC projects utilizing idle spaces to provide various resting areas for residents."

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