Libeskind Wins $20B Seoul Master Plan Competition

Studio Daniel Libeskind Wins International Master Plan Competition to Create 34 Million Square Foot, $20 Billion New Riverfront Development District in Seoul, South Korea

NEW YORK - Studio Daniel Libeskind has been named winner of the master plan competition for the Yongsan International Business District of Seoul, South Korea. The new large-scale district features a cluster of residential, office and retail neighborhoods in an extensive urban park along the Han River.

The plan, called Archipelago 21 because each of the linked neighborhoods functions like “islands” within a sea of green park space, will contain a total of 34 million square feet of built area. The $20 billion development is slated to break ground in 2011. The development entity is Yongsan Development Co., Ltd, a South Korean conglomerate. The district will also contain new cultural institutions, educational facilities and rapid transportation systems.

“The idea is to create a 21st Century destination that is at once transformative, vibrant, sustainable and diverse,” Mr. Libeskind said. “I wanted to make each form, each place, each neighborhood as varied and distinctive as possible. The plan, and each building within it, should reflect the vertical and cultural complexity of the heart of Seoul.

“We are proud to be selected for this major project from among so many distinguished firms,” Mr. Libeskind said. Finalists included Asymptome, Foster+Partners, Jerde Partnership and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Studio Daniel Libeskind worked with ARUP and Martha Schwartz, Inc. on the winning entry.

Daniel Libeskind, B.Arch. M.A. BDA AIA is an international figure in architectural practice and urban design. He is well known for introducing a new critical discourse into architecture and for his multidisciplinary approach. His practice extends from building major cultural and commercial institutions - including museums and concert halls - to convention centers, universities, housing, hotels, shopping centers and residential work.

Daniel Libeskind established his architectural studio in Berlin, Germany in 1989. Upon winning the design study for the World Trade Center Site in February 2003, Studio Daniel Libeskind moved its headquarters to New York City and the office is now headquartered two blocks south of the original World Trade Center site. SDL also has two European offices based in Zürich, Switzerland and Milan, Italy; as well as a number of site offices located around the world: San Francisco, Denver, Bern, Toronto, Milan and Hong Kong.

Since 1990, the office has been fortunate to be involved in a diverse array of urban, architectural and cultural projects. SDL has won commissions for major cultural buildings and significant urban projects in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Dubai, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Canada, the United States, Japan, Spain, Israel, Mexico, Korea, Singapore and China. Most recently, Mr. Libeskind’s extension to the Denver Art Museum and its new residences opened in October 2006. In addition, this summer, the Extension to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada; the extension to the Jewish Museum Berlin in Germany; and the Ascent, a residential tower in the United States, will open.

Daniel Libeskind’s architecture continues to reflect his profound interest and involvement in philosophy, art, music, literature, theater and film, as well as a continuing commitment to expanding the horizons of architecture and urbanism. It is fundamental to Daniel Libeskind’s thinking and motivation that buildings and urban projects are crafted with perceptible human energy and that they speak to the larger cultural community in which they are built.