Gangnam's First Luxury Hotel The Riverside Hotel Site, Up to 47-Story Mixed-Use Development

Low-rise area features urban forest, high-rise area includes Han River view specialized facilities
Up to 47-story building with hotel, hotel ancillary facilities, and officetel
Public facilities and installation costs worth 149.2 billion KRW donated

A complex development facility along the Han River, featuring hotels and officetels with a maximum height of 47 floors, will be established on the site of The Riverside Hotel in Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, which was developed as the first luxury hotel in Gangnam in 1981.

Aerial perspective of the district unit plan for the Riverside Hotel site around 6, Gangnam-daero 107-gil, Seocho-gu. Provided by Seoul City

On the 27th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that at the 18th Urban and Architectural Joint Committee meeting, the designation and planning of the district unit plan area and the detailed development plan decision for the special planning zone at 6 Gangnam-daero 107-gil, Seocho-gu (the Riverside Hotel site) were approved with modifications.

The hotel is located at the southern end of Hannam Bridge, connecting Gangnam and Gangbuk, and at the gateway of the Gyeongbu Expressway. Green spaces will be created in the low-rise sections, and internationally standard tourist accommodation facilities will be developed in the high-rise sections. The site will be developed as a global tourism hub along the Han River with a maximum height of 47 floors, including a hotel, hotel ancillary facilities, and officetels.

Aerial perspective of the district unit plan for the Riverside Hotel site around 6, Gangnam-daero 107-gil, Seocho-gu. Provided by Seoul City

The low-rise section will have the building raised to about 7 floors (25m) high, leaving only the minimum lobby area, and a green forest will be created by linking with facility green spaces. The building design is led by architect Wi Jin-bok of UIA, who won the Seoul Architecture Award Grand Prize this year, and it was selected as an innovative urban architectural design.

The retaining walls surrounding the site, which had poor accessibility due to high elevation differences, will be removed, and the low-rise section will be developed into an urban forest utilizing public open spaces. The upper floors will also include specialized spaces with views of the Han River, expanding public accessibility so that all citizens can conveniently use the area.

This complex development project has significantly improved feasibility through prior negotiations with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Three incentives were applied: innovative architectural design, carbon zero, and tourism accommodation. A public contribution plan was established, including the construction of public facilities worth a total of 149.2 billion KRW and cash donations.

Aerial perspective of the low-rise section in the district unit plan for the Riverside Hotel site around 6, Gangnam-daero 107-gil, Seocho-gu. Provided by Seoul City.

A facility green space (2,166.7㎡) designated as a buffer green zone along the Gyeongbu Expressway in 1978 will be donated to complete the previously segmented green space. An old senior citizens' center will be rebuilt for local residents.

To improve surrounding traffic, the project plan will be detailed and feasibility studies conducted to include the installation of a direct ramp from the Gyeongbu Expressway to Gangnam-daero and a public parking lot. Additionally, the cash public contributions will be used for balanced regional development.

The Riverside Hotel was a luxury hotel in Jamwon-dong that defined an era but was auctioned off and changed ownership to Hybrid Construction in 2005. Former chairman Ahn Byung-gyun of Nasan Group acquired Hybrid Construction, and Gauplan currently owns the hotel. The representative of Gauplan is Ahn Pil-ho, son of former chairman Ahn.

A Seoul city official stated, "With the district unit plan decision for the Riverside Hotel site, we will be able to supply the lacking tourism accommodation infrastructure following hotel closures after COVID-19. We will continue to grow Seoul into a more attractive city through innovative urban architectural design, offering citizens and tourists the joy of enjoying landmarks."