Seoul Jung-gu Myeongdong Community Center to Be Newly Built

New Myeongdong Community Center Building: Design Contract in November, Construction Starts 2024, Completion Expected 2026
Design Proposal Selected Emphasizing Openness and Active Connection with Outdoor Spaces Considering Tourist Area Characteristics
To Be Developed as a Hub for Communication and Exchange Accessible to Residents, Workers, and Foreign Tourists Alike

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) held a design competition for the construction of the new Myeongdong Community Center and announced the winning design on the 26th of last month.

The Myeongdong Community Center will be newly built with a total project cost of 12.6 billion KRW, consisting of 4 basement floors and 4 above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 2,100㎡. The old building will be demolished, and construction will begin in 2024 at the site (3 Toegye-ro 20-gil, Jung-gu), with the new center expected to open in May 2026.

The Myeongdong Community Center is located at a midpoint (Namsan-dong) connecting ‘Myeongdong’ and ‘Namsan,’ a place that every foreign visitor to Korea inevitably visits, making it a highly valuable space for tourists, residents, and merchants to gather. In fact, it is common to see foreigners visiting the Myeongdong Community Center when they encounter problems during their travels.

The winning design revealed by Jung-gu this time was praised for reflecting the regional characteristics of Myeongdong and the evolving role of the community center by designing the space accordingly. Departing from the usual method of placing the civil service office on the first floor, the design features a caf? and library open at all times on the basement first floor and ground first floor, facilitating smooth exchange and communication as a ‘civil service office for the world.’

The civil service office is located on the second floor, allowing visitors to handle administrative tasks in a quiet and comfortable environment. The third floor houses program rooms, and the fourth floor includes a fitness center offering various classes for local residents and nearby office workers. The rooftop is designed as a community space with a shared kitchen and garden, providing an open ‘rooftop’ atmosphere.

The design competition for the new Myeongdong Community Center, which began on August 18, attracted high interest with 325 teams participating. On October 26, after evaluation by a panel of five expert judges, the design submitted by J Plus Architects (CEO Lim Jeong-taek) was selected as the final winner.

Jung-gu plans to hold a residents’ briefing session to share the winning design and actively incorporate the community’s feedback on the desired features of the community center into the basic design.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “Behind the glamorous image of Myeongdong, there has always been an old and cramped community center that weighed on my mind, but now it feels like one task has been resolved. We will continue to oversee the new Myeongdong Community Center so that it becomes an international community center where residents, merchants, and foreign tourists can all conveniently use it, befitting Myeongdong’s status.”