Seoul City inaugurates an international architectural competition ‘Sejong-daero Historic Cultural Space Design Competition’. This competition aims to develop a comprehensive blue print for the central Seoul area as well as to provide a creative design for the site of Former National Tax Service Building.

Professionals in architecture, landscape or urban design may participate in the competition as an individual or a group; however at least one member must be an architect with a valid license issued in any country.

Target of this competition is creating a space for integration of existing historic cultural heritages and contemporary urban space through restoration of historical value of the building site and future use of it, as well as formation of practical connections between the ground and the underground spaces and provision of creative plans for preserved structures.

Seoul has been the capital of Korea for more than 600 years; hence the competition envisions a long term master plan that consists of a comprehensive space design for the former National Tax Service building — both ground space and underground space — and its surrounding areas, such as Deoksugung, Seoul City Hall, Seoul Plaza and Sejong-daero.

Participants must define the role of the building site with analytical explanation of the plan for the ground and the underground spaces around Sejong-daero. Also, participants must be able to promote the site as the nexus of the metropolitan public space network, while demonstrating its new cultural importance and significance. Successful proposals must establish a new historic cultural venue where existing historic cultural heritages and contemporary urban space are integrated through restoration of historic value of the former National Tax Service building site, connections between the ground and the underground spaces and creative plan for preserved structures. 

Submission (of the application) must be completed by September 25, 2015 via mail or in person (see website). The total cash prize is 100,000,000 KRW, and the winner will be put in charge of construction drawing documents. Inquiries related to the competition can only be made via official website, and answers will be posted online in both Korean and English and will be available to all participants of the competition.

We look forward to hearing creative ideas from you that will reform this old little space of Seoul into a space for communication. 

Summary

– Competition Title: Sejong-daero Historic Cultural Space Design Competition
– Registration Deadline: September 24, 17:00 p.m. (Korean Standard Time, UTC+9)
– Submission Deadline: September 25, 2015, 17:00 p.m. (Korean Standard Time, UTC+9)
– Announcement of Winners: October 06, 2015
– Award Ceremony: October 19, 2015 ~ October 31, 2015
– Client: Seoul Metropolitan Government
– Location: Around 119, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul, S.Korea
– First Prize: Design Contract for the Construction Documentation
– Estimated Design Fee: KRW 923.000.000(inc. VAT)
– Website: http://www.sejongdaero.org/en (english)