Jinju City’s Public Architecture Policy Gains National Attention, Attracts Continuous Benchmarking Visits

103 Officials from South Chungcheong Province and City and County Governments Visit

Sharing Achievements in Public Architecture System Operation

Recognized as a Model for Eco-Friendly Wooden Architecture and Urban Regeneration

Winner of the Presidential Prize at the Architectural Culture Awards

Expanding International Interest

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province is gaining national attention as a model case for its public architecture policy, which connects eco-friendly wooden architecture with urban regeneration. As a result, benchmarking visits from other local governments, institutions, and organizations have been taking place continuously.

The city announced that on April 23 and 24, a total of 103 people—including the Director of Architecture and Urban Affairs of South Chungcheong Province, officials in charge of architecture from the provincial government and city and county governments, as well as private public architects—visited Jinju to benchmark the achievements of its public architect system.

This visit was organized to strengthen practical capabilities by exploring exemplary cases of public architecture. The delegation focused on the results of operating the public architect system, as well as cases of implementing public architecture that reflect wooden architecture policies and local assets.

[Photo by Jinju City] Group photo of benchmarking visit with other local governments and organizations

On the first day, after receiving an explanation of the system's operation status and major achievements, the delegation toured representative public buildings such as Mulbit Naru Shelter and Jinyangho Woodland. They showed great interest in the eco-friendly construction methods utilizing wood and the design process, which was enhanced by involving public architects from the planning stage.

On the second day, the group visited the Jinju Silk Museum. This facility is recognized as a case where the image of silk, the region’s leading industry, is reflected in both the exterior and spatial composition of the building, realizing an organic connection between industry and space.

In particular, the design drew attention for its use of clerestory windows to introduce uniform natural light into the exhibition space.

Over the two days, the delegation engaged in Q&A sessions and exchanged opinions on all aspects of public architecture policy operation, discussing the effectiveness of the system and directions for its future development.

Since becoming the first city in South Gyeongsang Province to introduce the public architect system in 2019, Jinju City has continuously pursued policies linking public architecture, wooden architecture, and urban regeneration. By expanding the concept of public architecture from a simple facility to a space embodying the city's identity, Jinju has established itself as a benchmark destination for local governments across the country.

Based on these achievements, Jinju has won the Presidential Prize at the Architectural Culture Awards, received awards for five consecutive years at the Wooden Architecture Grand Prize, and has been honored at the Urban Awards for six consecutive years. There is also growing interest from organizations such as the Korea Forest Service, Jeju Province, South Jeolla Province, as well as overseas groups including Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan and Canada Wood Group.

A Jinju City official stated, "This benchmarking visit was a meaningful opportunity to share the achievements of our public architecture policy," adding, "We will continue to enhance both public value and design quality to improve the quality of life for our citizens."

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