The capital of South Korea will be honored as the World Capital of Design in 2010, and to commemorate this, the city authorities decided to create a new ensemble of buildings that would showcase the country's achievements in industrial design and in the cultural sphere in general. The site for the construction was the downtown area of Seoul, Dongdaemun, where a huge number of clothing and design shops are concentrated, and where about 100,000 people are employed in the design-related industries.
Dongdaemun Design Park & Plaza should be the new growth machine for Seoul, as despite the commercial prosperity of the area, its urban design leaves much to be desired. This area suffers from traffic and human congestion, therefore its regeneration is necessary. The first step towards it will be the implementation of a new complex dedicated to different areas of design.
Zaha Hadid's project is named "Metonymic Landscape". It is built on the idea of a catalyst architecture that encourages people to generate new ideas, not stop at what has been achieved, and be in a state of cultural development all the time. The new center will facilitate the establishment of a dialogue between different areas of design, between designers and product manufacturers. The flowing forms of the building will be combined with the landscaped park, which should become a popular recreational area in the center of Seoul.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza will include multifunctional exhibition and conference rooms, a design showroom, visitor information center, business center, corporate sector and infrastructure, and a design museum. As a historical addition to the modern complex, due to be completed by March 2010, it is planned to rebuild the walls of Dongdaemun Fortress.
Stephen Hall took third place in the competition, and FOA and MVRDV entered the final, along with Korean workshops.
