'Citizen Platform' Selected for Design Competition of Fire Joint Office Building in Jongno, Seoul

Unsaengdong Architects Office - POSCO A&C Joint Bid ... Completion in 2024

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 16th that the design competition for the new 'Fire Joint Office Building' to be constructed on the site of the Jongno Fire Station has selected the joint entry "CITIZEN PLATFORM: Simin Platform" submitted by Unsaengdong Architects Office and POSCO A&C Architects Office team.

A total of 24 works were submitted for this design competition, including 13 domestic and 11 international entries, with nine experts in urban planning and architecture participating in the judging. Unsaengdong Architects Office (representatives Jang Yoon-gyu and Shin Chang-hoon), which submitted the winning design, will be granted the basic and detailed design rights for the Fire Joint Office Building, and prizes will be awarded in varying amounts to the 2nd to 5th place winners.

The winning design, CITIZEN PLATFORM, replaces various spaces with horizontal layers to distinguish the Fire Joint Office Building and the Jongno-gu Integrated Office Building, connecting them underground to Gwanghwamun Station so that the Fire Joint Office Building becomes the central hub of the underground space in the Jongno-gu area. Additionally, the Fire Joint Office Building and the Jongno-gu Integrated Office Building are connected on the 4th, 5th, 8th, and 9th floors above ground, adjacent to community convenience facilities such as a citizen plaza and lifelong education facilities, designed as an equal and democratic space.

The courtyard space shared with citizens includes a fire training yard, and a fire lookout tower that also functions as an observatory is installed on the rooftop, symbolizing the Fire Joint Office Building.

Kim Jun-sung, chairman of the judging panel and professor at Konkuk University, commented, "It is impressive how the horizontal segmentation of the mass presents multiple platforms for the Fire Joint Office Building and the Jongno-gu Integrated Office Building. The excellent design combines various functions and places appropriately sized public spaces between these combinations," adding, "It harmoniously realizes horizontal democracy and the public nature of an open complex office building."

The construction of the Fire Joint Office Building will proceed with 15 months of basic and detailed design until December 2021, followed by a four-month period starting around January 2022 to select a contractor. Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed by October 2024.

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