David Chipperfield to Build 'Pritzker Prize' Architecture in Seongsu-dong

Current Site of Emart Headquarters
8 Basement Floors to 17 Above-Ground Floors in Scale

A building designed by British architect David Chipperfield, who won the '2023 Pritzker Prize,' will be constructed near Seongsu Station on Subway Line 2. It will be located on the site currently occupied by Emart Seongsu Branch.

On the 31st, Seoul City announced that the 6th Architecture Committee held on the 28th approved the architectural plan for the new office facility construction project in the area of 333-16, Seongsu-dong 2-ga, Seongdong-gu. The building under review was selected through an international design competition for its design that well reflects public interest and regional characteristics.

With this approval, an office facility with a total floor area of 217,538.43㎡ and consisting of 8 basement floors and 17 above-ground floors will be built on the project site. The lower floors (1st to 2nd floors above ground) will house neighborhood living facilities, and the first basement floor will include retail facilities.

This office facility construction project is being carried out through a collaboration between David Chipperfield, who won the 'Pritzker Prize,' known as the Nobel Prize of architecture last year, and Samwoo Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. The building design emphasizes regional characteristics and public interest, aiming to revitalize the city.

The building is expected to become a new landmark in Seongsu-dong through abundant publicly accessible spaces and landscaping. To the south of the public space, a lawn plaza will be created that can be used as an outdoor performance and relaxation area, while to the north, an urban forest with multi-layered planting will be established to provide a relaxing shelter for residents and visitors.

Han Byung-yong, Director of the Seoul City Housing Policy Office, said, "We expect a new design building that will bring out regional change and potential through collaboration with a globally recognized architect." He added, "In future architectural reviews, we will fully consider not only the function and safety of buildings but also the innovation of design to enhance urban competitiveness."

Meanwhile, the site where this building will be constructed is currently operated as Emart headquarters and Seongsu Branch. Emart sold the Seongsu headquarters and branch to the Krafton-Mirae Asset Consortium for 1.22 trillion KRW at the end of 2021. Emart Seongsu Branch is scheduled to close at the end of next month, and Emart headquarters will relocate to the Orange Center in Sunhwa-dong, Jung-gu.

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