Busan City Selects Winners of the '2023 Busan-Style Architecture Awards'

10 Winners Selected for the 2023 Busan-Down Architecture Awards

Awards Ceremony Scheduled for September 20 at the Busan International Architecture Festival Opening Ceremony

Busan City has selected 10 works as winners of the ‘2023 Busan-Style Architecture Awards’ and plans to present the awards at the opening ceremony of the Busan International Architecture Festival on the 20th.

The city held the ‘Busan-Style Architecture Awards’ contest from March to June to discover outstanding architectural works that well embody the identity and value of the attractive maritime city of Busan.

A total of 54 candidate works (buildings) were submitted through the contest, and the works were evaluated by a judging committee composed of architecture experts from architectural societies and associations.

Among the 54 submitted works, 10 were selected through a preliminary review, and through final on-site verification and main judging, 1 Grand Prize, 1 Gold Prize, 2 Silver Prizes, and 6 Encouragement Prizes were awarded.

▲ The Grand Prize was awarded to ‘Very Very Good Bongsan Center (Yeongdo Bongsan Village Coworking Space)’ located in Yeongdo-gu. ▲ The Gold Prize went to ‘Busan City Hall Children’s Complex Cultural Space “Deullak Nallak”’ in Yeonje-gu. ▲ The Silver Prizes were awarded to ‘Dakbatgol Hanji Experience Center’ in Seo-gu and ‘Best Friend Animal Hospital’ in Suyeong-gu. ▲ The Encouragement Prizes were given to a total of 10 works including ‘Oblique House’ in Gijang-gun and ‘Haegurida’ in Suyeong-gu.

The Very Very Good Bongsan Center, which won the Busan-Down Architecture Award Grand Prize this year.

This year’s Grand Prize winner, ‘Very Very Good Bongsan Center (Yeongdo Bongsan Village Coworking Space),’ is equipped with a guesthouse, village caf?, shared kitchen, and multipurpose room. Its various community spaces that extend both indoors and outdoors serve as a park in a village lacking green spaces and can be used as a place for residents to communicate during village events.

Also, the Gold Prize winner, ‘Busan City Hall Children’s Complex Cultural Space Deullak Nallak,’ is stocked with picture books for children and humanities books for adults, and features a 3D experience center, media art exhibition hall, kids caf?, and Lego room, allowing people of all ages to enjoy diverse cultural experiences.

Professor Pyo Eung-seok of Dongseo University, who chaired the judging committee, said, “Very Very Good Bongsan Center (Yeongdo Bongsan Village Coworking Space) stood out for presenting social programs such as a shared workshop, educational spaces, and revenue-generating facilities to ensure sustainability in response to regional issues like deteriorating old urban residential areas, population outflow, declining birth rates, and aging residents.” He added, “In particular, it received excellent evaluations for preserving existing alley infrastructure while creating a multipurpose hall space utilizing the slope and establishing an outdoor viewing deck.”

Regarding the Gold Prize winner ‘Busan City Hall Children’s Complex Cultural Space Deullak Nallak,’ he evaluated, “It was significant that the existing main hall space of Busan City Hall was transformed into a space actively used by citizens, especially children who are the protagonists of the future generation. The curved spatial planning and bright color and lighting design excellently complemented the somewhat rigid and hierarchical atmosphere typical of government offices.”

A commemorative plaque will be attached to the awarded buildings, and the theme songs of the winning works can be enjoyed via QR codes. The winning works will be exhibited at BEXCO during the Busan Architecture Festival from September 20 to 24, and will subsequently be displayed in autonomous districts and counties.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, “Architecture is an artwork that embraces our daily lives,” and added, “Together with the Busan Architecture Festival Organizing Committee, we will continue to discover architectural works that highlight the public value of architecture and well express Busan’s identity and value.” He also stated, “We will create a unique architectural culture in Busan and beautiful urban landscapes to build a city where citizens are happy and a cultural tourism city that people want to visit again.”