IMA Architects Selected Through Design Competition
The narrow and inconvenient public parking lot at Sindang Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, will be rebuilt as a parking tower. The parking capacity, which was originally 26 spaces, will increase nearly fivefold to 123 spaces.
Jung-gu (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) announced on the 14th that they have decided to develop this area into a complex space featuring parking, resident convenience facilities, and a park, and selected the winning design in a competition held on the 11th.
The winning design by IMA Architects will proceed to detailed design. Currently, the Sindang Station public parking lot has 26 spaces. Considering the nearby traditional market, residential areas, and the recently emerging "Hipdang-dong" (trendy Sindang-dong) commercial district, parking spaces are severely insufficient.
Accordingly, the district plans to utilize the existing site (1,011㎡) to create a parking tower along with neighborhood living facilities. According to the design plan, the parking lot will be constructed as a parking tower from basement level 1 to the 6th floor above ground, with a height of 39.6 meters. The parking tower will have a multi-level structure designed to harmonize naturally with the surrounding skyline.
In particular, a transparent design that allows vehicles to be visible from the outside of the building has been applied to enhance visual openness. This new concept of a landmark emphasizes the building’s presence through spatial "openness" rather than "height," drawing attention. Convenience facilities for local residents will also be created. An open restroom will be located on the first floor, and a kids’ cafe and community facilities will be on the second floor.
An open park will be created to provide a resting space, and a passageway connecting Dasan-ro and Toegye-ro, which are currently blocked by walls and buildings, will be utilized to improve accessibility for residents and visitors. Solar power facilities will be installed on the building’s rooftop.
The district will sign a detailed design contract with the winning designer within this month and begin the full project process aiming for completion in December next year.
A total of 39 entries competed in this contest. Besides the winning design, Y Architects (Gold Prize), UPEM (Silver Prize), Paper Story (Bronze Prize), and Han Architect (Encouragement Prize) were awarded. Prize money will be distributed differentially to the winners except for the winning design.
District Mayor Kim Gil-seong said, “The construction of this public parking lot will be an opportunity to change the paradigm of parking lots by efficiently utilizing a narrow site,” adding, “It is expected to not only alleviate parking difficulties around Sindang Station but also become a new landmark.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
