LOCATION: Seoul, Korea｜

TYPE: Pedestrian tunnel, View｜

SCALE: 600 sqm｜

DESIGN/ BUILT: 2007 - 2008｜

Monumental urban experiments are underway in Seoul, Korea.  Strong initiatives are proceeding to connect the vast Han River, which flows across the city, to the city fabric itself.  This project, ‘Han River Renaissance’ aims to provide a set of new interventions: bridges, tunnels, and landscape design, as to transform the entire scheme of the public’s experience with the river.

 The task given to our office, being the only non-Korean architects on this project, is to redesign a number of the pedestrian tunnels and to give new identities to these infrastructural pieces which previously have not been thought ‘designable’ .  By exploring the notion of simple technology and familiar materials, our design attempts to celebrate the public value of these infrastructures.  Adding only what’s necessary—brick-cladding, paving and seating, and color-coated concrete finish—the tunnels retain a kind of pragmatic quality while offering something different to the neighborhood.  Adopting a variety of ways to use and lay the bricks, the work hopes to provide a renewed sense of details during the daily encounter and usage of these public infrastructures.