Gwangju City Accelerates 'Y-Project, Yeongsangang Excite Zone' Initiative

Creation of Distinctive Water History Theme Center and Water Play Facilities
Final Selection of Winning Design through International Competition by February Next Year
“A New Leisure Space for Citizens and a Key Tourism Hub”

'Yeongsangang Exciting Zone' project site. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City is concretizing the ‘Y-Project, Yeongsangang Exciting Zone’, a core leisure and tourism hub for citizens, to realize the ‘30 million urban users era’. The ‘Asia Water History Theme Experience Center and Nature-style Water Play Facility’ has entered an international design competition, and the designer for the ‘Songsan Island Floating Pool’ has been selected, with design work set to begin next year.

According to Gwangju City on the 27th, an international design competition is underway for the ‘Asia Water History Theme Experience Center and Nature-style Water Play Facility’ to be built in the ‘Yeongsangang Exciting Zone’.

Within the Yeongsangang Exciting Zone, the ‘Asia Water History Theme Experience Center’?a 4,000㎡ facility?will reinterpret the historical and cultural values from the ancient Mahan civilization, born from the Yeongsangang River, to Gwangju’s growth as an Asian cultural hub. The center will feature imaginative exhibits themed around water and digital art.

Additionally, a dynamic, nature-style water play facility will be created to lead Gwangju’s urban leisure culture, blending artificial surfing, water play, and relaxation. The water play facility will include an indoor artificial surfing pool, a nature-style water play area, and a grass yard.

The city has structured the international design competition in stages to secure a variety of ideas and creative designs. Only those who pass the first stage can advance to the second stage.

Gwangju City has formed a judging committee comprised of experts in architecture, landscaping, and exhibitions to ensure a fair and high-quality selection. The committee reviewed submissions from 11 teams?seven domestic and four international?and selected five teams through the first round of judging on the 23rd.

These five teams are now competing in the second stage of the design competition, which began on the 24th. The entire judging process, including presentations and Q&A sessions, will be broadcast live online. The final winner and runners-up will be announced on February 21, 2025. After contracting with the winner, the city will complete the basic and detailed designs before starting construction, aiming to open in the first half of 2027.

The city expects that, once the design competition concludes, the details and design of the Asia Water History Theme Experience Center and the nature-style water play facility?including the water history experience area, nature-style water play area, indoor artificial surfing pool, and grass yard?will be further refined.

Additionally, the city will push forward with the ‘Songsan Island Floating Pool’ project, a key part of the Y-Project along Hwangnyonggang. The Songsan Island Floating Pool will reinterpret memories of past pools and duck boats in a modern way, offering a unique experience on the river with a 500㎡ facility. The city plans to select a design firm by the end of this month, begin detailed design and construction next year, and complete the project by August 2026.

Lee Seungkyu, head of the New Vitality Promotion Headquarters, said, “The Y-Project Yeongsangang Exciting Zone will become a new leisure space for Gwangju citizens and a core tourism hub unlike anything seen before. We will develop it as a new landmark that will enhance Gwangju’s competitiveness.”

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