Seoul City Selects 'Connected City' as Winning Entry in International Design Competition for Northern Arterial Road Compact City Project

Aerial view of the artificial land park to be developed in front of Shinnae 3 Complex

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] An artificial land four times the size of a soccer field will be placed above the Northern Arterial Road (Sinnae IC~Jungnang IC), and the area will be recreated as a compact city where residential areas, living SOC, parks, and youth self-sufficient facilities are harmoniously integrated.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) announced on the 20th that the consortium led by POSCO A&C Architects Office's "Connected City" was selected as the winning entry in the international design competition for the Northern Arterial Road Upper Compact City (Sinnae Compact City Public Housing District). The winning team will be granted the rights for basic and detailed design.

The winning design proposed an optimal structure and construction method to minimize noise and vibration caused by the "city above the road." A "tunnel-type covering structure" wrapping around the road will be installed to block noise sources generated from the Northern Arterial Road at the source. On top of that, a "Bridge System" will be applied, which completely separates the road and building structures so that vibrations from the road do not affect the residences.

The winning design also devised an open urban structure that connects urban spaces previously divided by the road and communicates with surrounding areas. The Northern Arterial Road, which had divided the city, will be three-dimensionally developed to connect residential areas, and a green space about four times the size of a soccer field (approximately 27,000㎡) will be created on the upper artificial land to serve as a space for all nearby residents.

A total of 14 teams from domestic and international backgrounds participated in this international design competition. A jury composed of renowned architects and urban experts from Korea and abroad selected the final winning design and the 2nd to 4th place works through two rounds: first, proposal review, and second, work evaluation. The evaluation focused on the long-term development direction of the Sinnae IC area, creativity, constructability, and economic feasibility of the Northern Arterial Road three-dimensional development plan, and the appropriateness of implementing a compact city integrating housing, jobs, and leisure.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to complete the public housing district plan approval, housing construction project plan approval, and detailed design within this year, start construction in the second half of 2021, and complete the development by 2024.

Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, said, "By introducing a new type of public housing model never seen before, the Sinnae IC area, which had been isolated, is expected to transform into a self-sufficient city where housing, leisure, and jobs coexist, and become the central living area of Jungnang-gu where young and diverse cultures breathe." He added, "We will do our best not only to expand the quantity of public housing but also to introduce various innovative models to recreate urban space and serve as a catalyst for regional development through the three-dimensional development of the city."