Final Winner Selected in International Design Competition
Construction Starts February Next Year... Target Completion in 2027
In the international design competition held to transform Nodeul Island into a 'global art island,' the design by British architectural designer Thomas Heatherwick was selected as the final winner. The winning design is characterized by various curves that embody the image of Korean mountains.
On the 29th, Seoul City announced that the final winning entry of the 'Nodeul Global Art Island International Design Competition' was 'SOUNDSCAPE,' a work by Thomas Heatherwick, a world-renowned architectural designer often called the Leonardo da Vinci of the UK. Heatherwick's representative works include the new Google headquarters in the United States and the landmark observation deck 'Vessel' in New York.
A bird's-eye view of Thomas Heatherwick's 'Soundscape,' the final winner of the Nodeul Global Art Island International Place Naming Design Competition. Photo by Seoul City
The day before, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the judging panel, along with about 400 citizens and experts, attended a public presentation to select the winning design of the international competition. Tom Main, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect known as the Nobel Prize of architecture, served as the chair of the judging panel. The panel included seven members: Ben van Berkel, CEO of UNStudio; Professor Choi Moon-kyu of Yonsei University; Professor Jung Hyun-tae of New York Institute of Technology; Lee Jung-hoon, CEO of Joho Architects; Jo Yong-jun, director of CA Landscape Architecture Office; and Professor Kim Yong-hwa of Korea National University of Arts.
The winning design created dramatic spaces of varying heights to reinvent Nodeul Island as a place where Seoul’s culture and energy can be felt. A skywalk canopy, inspired by patterns generated from natural sounds and live music, was also a key design element. The city explained that the winning design was highly evaluated for preserving the essential sense of place of Nodeul Island by maximizing the use of existing buildings and planning the surrounding areas, as well as creating a fantastic landscape with various curves using stainless curved metal materials.
Tom Main, the chair of the judging panel, said, "Since this Nodeul Island international competition is a very interesting large-scale project, we had to propose new ideas about the boundaries, consider how to create an urban icon, and think about the relationship between architecture and landscape." He added, "From a global perspective, we focused not only on the competition itself but also on what messages each work conveyed about the sustainability of Nodeul Island within a larger framework."
The judging panel anticipated that the winning design would enable environmentally friendly and sustainable construction by pinpointing the placement of columns, minimizing interference during construction.
The city plans to sign a design contract with the winner in July this year and proceed with basic and detailed designs. Construction is scheduled to begin in February next year, with the waterfront popup wall, floating art stage, and ecological garden to be completed by 2025. The aerial and ground-level walkways and Life Garden are targeted for completion by 2027.
Im Chang-su, Director of Future Space Planning at Seoul City, stated, "After selecting the final designer, we will do our best to transparently disclose the creation process and rebirth the space reflecting the wishes of citizens."
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