[Namwon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Young-kwon] The old Myeongji Hotel and surrounding traditional hanok houses in Namwon, Jeonbuk, will be reborn as eco-friendly accommodation facilities.
Namwon City announced on the 19th that it has unveiled the winning design proposal for the regional specialized eco-friendly accommodation facility project, which is being promoted in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.
This design competition is a project to remodel valuable hanok resources such as the old Myeongji Hotel into highly attractive lodging spaces that themselves become tourist attractions and motivations for travel.
The old Myeongji Hotel, the subject of the design, was a nationally famous hanok hotel operated under names such as Myeongjijang and Myeongjigak from the 1950s to the early 1980s.
The winning entry was the work titled “Myeongji Hotel, Namwon House, and Namwon Yuhee” proposed by J-Lab Architects Office Co., Ltd. (CEO Architect Kang Hae-cheon).
The concept of Namwon Yuhee, created by the differentiated two stays of Myeongji Hotel and Namwon House, and the village hotel concept were evaluated as well reflecting the most Namwon-like accommodation facilities.
First, Myeongji Hotel stood out for its spatial composition that respects the hierarchy of the existing building and well demonstrated spatial characteristics such as the room modules and corridor space layouts used as lodging facilities in the 1950s.
The most accessible and symbolic outer Sarangchae (men’s quarters) is planned for F&B and reception, while the Sarangchae serving as a gateway to the inner quarters and courtyard functions as a lounge exclusively for guests.
Namwon House arranged corridors and a Numaru (raised wooden floor) in the courtyard to connect the flow between rooms composed of a teahouse and individual buildings in the previously empty yard and to protect privacy.
To allow guests to feel the charm of the city of Namwon, various historical and cultural contents of Namwon were also introduced into the lodging spaces.
Meanwhile, this project was selected in a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism competition last February, securing 3.9 billion KRW in national funding, with a total project cost of 7.9 billion KRW to create a hotel with 15 rooms.
The city plans to complete the design by December this year, start construction in the first half of next year, and complete and open the facility in the second half of next year.
Mayor Choi Kyung-sik of Namwon said, “We will do our best to revitalize local tourism by creating the old Myeongji Hotel, which has a special story based on Namwon’s history, culture, and arts, as a new lodging content around Gwanghallu Garden.”
Namwon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Young-kwon baekok@asiae.co.kr
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