Project Description
Public Design for ALL
‘Public Design for all’ selects results that are accompanied by universal purpose, public consent, and understanding enough to emphasize once again the meaning of “all. In 2019, G/O Architecture won the Excellence Award for its project to create ‘Namdaemun Market and utilize underground sidewalks (hereinafter referred to as the “Namdaemun Square Project”). As a project to create a square cross Namdaemun, the center of transportation and an important heritage site in Seoul, it was intended to add its role as a resting place for everyone and a hub for sharing cultural values, not as a distant legacy.In fact, Namdaemun and its surrounding area functioned as Seoul’s representative market for 600 years, starting with “Lim Dae-jeon” in 1414, and have played a large role as a center of commerce and tourism so far, but accessibility has not been smooth. It was an area where traffic islands, narrow, winding walking paths, streets mixed with different signatures and installations, and motorcycles and bicycles were intertwined. In addition, it is true that it was not able to enjoy its value as a public heritage because it was surrounded by automobile roads.
The Namdaemun Square project was carried out with about 2,500 square meters of ground and 1,200 square meters of underground sidewalks. G/O Architecture participated in the design of the competition under the theme of “Looking at Namdaemun from low hills,” and gathered opinions from merchants, local residents, experts, and homeless people in Namdaemun area to create the current results through 26 plan-set revisions and 56 site supervision. In the process, it clearly means that it will serve as a place to satisfy all of them, along with the premise that it can be used between Namdaemun Square. By filling the existing traffic island for traffic and using it as a plaza for pedestrians, Namdaemun is also intended to convey the message that it is a “for everyone” heritage by adding commercial and tourism as well as rest areas.
Its project tried to reflect the needs and opinions of local residents in line with the “public design for all.” As a result, the current Namdaemun area has become a comfortable resting place by expanding the width of the driveway and installing crosswalks, and creating a unified signage and shelter. In addition, improvements were made on issues that were previously pointed out as major problems such as well. It clearly established walking zones and separated and secured parking spaces for motorcycles from pedestrians, while organizing various obstacles that harm the landscape of Namdaemun. It also paid close attention to environmental design. In addition, the construction of the plaza will allow visitors to comfortably face Namdaemun, which had previously had to look at the road and the pedestrian path in a limited way.
Supporting role for the main character.
Namdaemun is the first national treasure of the Republic of Korea that has historically experienced twists and turns.
During the Joseon Dynasty, it was the gateway to enter the Seoul fortress, and in modern times, tanks were the channel of traffic through Namdaemun, and now it acts like a symbolic statue surrounded by roads. The meaning of “people passing through Namdaemun and the stream of cities that follow” has changed from time to time, and modern Namdaemun has become a symbolic and historic treasure of Korea rather than a function of the past.
With the development of cars and roads, Namdaemun is surrounded by roads and cars and people’s access becomes difficult. Across the street is the modern Namdaemun Market, which developed in Seonhyecheong and Sijeon Haengnang during the Joseon Dynasty, and the adjacent entrance to the site was a transportation island. There are tens of thousands of people passing through Namdaemun. It was built between the island and the walkway to create the square closest to Namdaemun.
This square has a comfortable view of Namdaemun, and it must accommodate a large number of passageways that pass through it. Therefore, the plaza should be a plaza to highlight Namdaemun rather than have an active meaning in itself or express excessive formations. The space in an art gallery can be considered to be the same reason that art works are composed quietly and concisely. Namdaemun Plaza is a supporting role for the main character.
Using a bench and grass to stay in, so that people could look at Namdaemun. Namdaemun Market, located away from Namdaemun Gate, has a lot of traffic compared to the width of the street, so it has expanded the street to avoid interference. Although there is a road between Namdaemun and Namdaemun Plaza, it can be seen as an extension of the visual street towards Namdaemun beyond the road. The extension of the street consists of benches, lawns, terraced shelters, and underground walk entrances, where granite can fill the floor in patterns, sit back, look at Namdaemun, perform, gather, scatter, or pass through the city. It was important to give up the desire to be a leading actor and become a supporting actor who stood out and played the rest of the role faithfully It contains a minimal urban gesture that can stimulate the city’s natural everyday activities rather than installing an artificial device.