Floor Area Ratio Increased by 40%p to a Maximum of 20 Floors
Target Completion and Move-in by 2028
Over 800 Units to be Supplied in 'Sinnae4 Public Housing District'
Construction to Start Next Year, Completion Expected in 2029
The shantytown ‘Seongdwi Village’ in Gangnam, Seoul, will be transformed into a large-scale apartment complex with up to 20 floors and 1,600 households.
On the 28th, Seoul held the 2nd Public Housing Integrated Deliberation Committee and conditionally approved the ‘Seocho Seongdwi Village Public Housing District Plan Amendment’ on the 29th, the city announced.
Seongdwi Village (around 565-2 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu), located on the foothills of Umyeonsan Mountain, is a shantytown formed by migrants who settled there during the development of Gangnam in the 1960s and 1970s. It had been subject to decades of indiscriminate development, damaging the landscape and exposing residents to risks such as fire and landslides.
The city decided to increase the floor area ratio (FAR) beyond the original plan. When the district was designated in September 2017 and the district plan approved in January 2019, a FAR of 160% and a maximum of 7 floors were applied to the apartment housing, but without upgrading the land use zone, the FAR was conditionally changed to 200% and an average of up to 15 floors. The city explained, “This decision was made considering the efficient use of developable land resources within Seoul, the landscape of Umyeonsan, and the status of surrounding developments.”
Accordingly, the number of housing units will increase from the original 813 to 1,600. The additional 787 units will be used to stabilize housing for homeless citizens and as housing welfare resources. Of the total households, 900 units (590 rental units and 310 sale units) will be supplied in the public housing complex in Block A1, and 700 units will be built in the private housing complex.
In particular, for Block A1, Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) plans to supply happy housing, long-term lease, and public sale housing as a ‘social mix.’ The size of rental housing units will be expanded from the original 30 and 36㎡ to 31?59㎡, and materials will be upgraded to increase citizens’ housing choices. After the district plan amendment is approved, pre-announcement for pre-sale will be made to recruit residents.
The city plans to restore the damaged natural environment to realize Seongdwi Village as a ‘garden city’ and activate the village’s previously closed network. Additionally, a public contest will be held in the first half of this year to apply creative and innovative designs.
The goal is to approve the housing construction project in 2025 and complete and move in by 2028.
On the same day, the city also conditionally approved the ‘Sinnae 4 Public Housing District Plan and Housing Construction Project Plan Amendment’ in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu. Near Sinnae Station on Seoul Subway Line 6 and the Gyeongchun Line, a public housing complex with 788 units (384 for sale, 404 rental) will be built, ranging from 4 basement floors to 25 floors above ground. An artificial land of 25,902㎡ will be created above the Bukbu Expressway, with a park on top of the artificial land and public housing on the south side.
A bird's-eye view of 'Sinnae 4 Public Housing District' in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu. Photo by Seoul City
‘Sinnae 4 Public Housing District’ will be developed as a three-dimensional complex project for public housing innovation. For the apartment complex, to form a skyline and landscape axis, a rhythmic building shape and stepped facade were planned to move away from the conventional boxy apartment style. The facade will be diversified with park and city view open balconies and curtain walls, and pocket parks and rooftop parks will be created to harmonize with nature.
The living area, which had been disconnected mainly by the Bukbu Expressway, will be connected as one, and urban living conditions will improve by securing parks and green spaces that were lacking in the area. The neighborhood park will include a terrain playground, climbing wall, and walking trails.
The ‘Sinnae 4 Public Housing District’ project is scheduled to start construction in the second half of 2025 and be completed in 2029.
Han Byung-yong, Director of Seoul City’s Housing Policy Office, said, “We will do our best to continuously supply public housing that serves as a hub for regional revitalization and is used by all local residents, contributing to citizens’ housing safety and improvement.”
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