Seoul City Announces International Design Competition for Worker Welfare Center and Happy Housing Complex Building... Target Completion by December 2024

Construction of a 22,000㎡ Complex Building on the Guro Office Site of Gangseo Waterworks Office
Low-rise Worker Welfare Center and Upper Floors Happy Housing Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 29th that it will hold a design competition for the construction of a complex building combining a ‘Labor Welfare Center’ and ‘Happy Housing’.

Seoul plans to build a ‘Labor Welfare Center,’ a welfare facility for workers, and ‘Happy Housing’ for single-person households and newlyweds on the site of the Gangseo Waterworks Office Guro Branch (272 Gamasan-ro, Guro-gu). The purpose of this competition is to functionally differentiate these two spaces, which have somewhat unrelated functions, while designing and creating them in a balanced manner.

The newly constructed Labor Welfare Center and Happy Housing will have a total floor area of 22,000㎡, with the lower floors designated for the Labor Welfare Center and the upper floors for Happy Housing. The construction is scheduled for completion in December 2024.

The ‘Labor Welfare Center’ will be a complex space aimed at stabilizing workers’ lives, enhancing welfare, and protecting labor rights. It will develop and operate various programs such as job security, sports, culture, education, and provide comprehensive labor welfare services targeting workers who directly use the facility and local residents.

Additionally, the ‘Happy Housing’ will be planned primarily for single-person households to help address the housing issues faced by the younger generation. Some housing units for newlyweds will also be included. The plan seeks differentiated public housing with diversified supply types and high-quality public housing to improve residents’ quality of life.

Applications for this international design competition will be accepted until July 7, and submissions must be made through the Seoul Public Architecture Design Competition website by July 21. Domestic and international architects may participate individually or jointly. A panel of seven renowned domestic architects will conduct a fair evaluation of the submissions on July 29, and the final winners will be announced on July 30. To ensure transparency and fairness, a citizen auditor ombudsman will be present during the evaluation.

The final winner will sign a design contract with the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation and hold the rights to implement the design intent. To encourage more participation, design compensation will also be awarded to entries placing 2nd through 5th in addition to the winning design.

Jang Young-min, Labor Policy Officer, said, “Although the Labor Welfare Center and Happy Housing serve different functions, they share the common goal of protecting citizens’ labor rights and housing rights. We hope many excellent architects will participate to create harmonious and convenient buildings despite their different purposes.”

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