︎ 005 - New Gwanghwamun square



The Gwanghwamun square in the current condition is an important milieu within the geographical and historical dimension, of the capital of South Korea. The spatial geometry of this place, it’s a fair example of the Confucian approach to design. Nonetheless, its presence and spatial organization within the urban fabric today is a clear result of the complex historical process that Korea went through. Our aim was to preserve its architectural and historical uniqueness while creating a pleasurable place that would work as a new cluster for public life, thus providing Seoul with the opportunity to accommodate the future needs of its citizens. A future in which space for pedestrians and public events are core elements in the organization of the square.

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The Green Belt of Seoul played a big role in shaping the city and its character. From the 1971, since its creation, up until 2018, this green part of the city improved the life quality of its residents. It has changed and shaped other urban areas by determining new areas of development. Nowadays, the Green belt has become an attractive place for developers and speculation.

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The belt consists of several large green islands that surround Seoul and connect to the various green areas within the city. Different urban ecosystems rely on and are dependent on various part of this system. We argue that the green belt has set perfect conditions for new “green cuts” within dense urban tissue. A tendency to transform heritage of the industrialization epoch into harmonized, “nature” oriented zones can find its place in these gaps. That is why Gwanghwamun Square should use the existing potential of the surrounding areas and spill out into the urban fabric, generating high-quality areas from.

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To achieve these goals we took three decisions. Firstly, to keep the centrality of the axis and reduce the number of carlines from 11 to 6. It is a logical move that follows the historical development of the area. Second, to create continuous space from the South to the North, by rerouting Sajikro to the widened tunnel of Sajikro 8-gil. And the third decision is to create a sequence of “empty spaces” that are embraced and contrasted by two green stripes. Gradually changing along the Sejong-aero, this green patch generates different spaces: from the enclosed park to framed square in front of public space through a car-freed and breathing square in front of Gyeongbokgung.

In this new embodiment, Gwanghwamun Square becomes part of the everyday route of the citizen. By preserving the symbolism and embracing the square with green patches we aim to create higher-quality urban conditions that are more responsive to the desires of future and present inhabitants of Seoul.