Verification of 'Sori Punggyeong' Design by Thomas Heatherwick
Technical Collaboration with POSCO for Realization of Non-Standard Architecture
Seoul City is partnering with POSCO to realize the non-standard exterior design of the Nodeul Global Art Island project.
Seoul City announced on the 25th that it signed a business agreement with POSCO on the 24th at a meeting room in City Hall. Changsoo Lim, Director of Future Space Planning at Seoul City (left), and Jieun Lee, Head of Structural Materials and Home Appliance Marketing at POSCO, are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Reporter
On June 24, Seoul City signed a business agreement with POSCO at a meeting room on the 8th floor of Seoul City Hall. Through this agreement, the city and POSCO plan to propose suitable materials for non-standard architecture, which is being attempted for the first time in Korea, and to enhance the feasibility of implementation and construction. Their goal is to achieve both technical excellence and high aesthetic quality in public architecture.
'Sori Punggyeong,' the winning design by Thomas Heatherwick in the Nodeul Global Art Island international design competition in May 2024, includes a non-standard architectural soffit (the underside structure of a ceiling). The realization of this design requires highly precise fabrication and prior technological verification.
Accordingly, Seoul City plans to increase the feasibility of complex exterior material designs and secure empirical data for selecting materials with both durability and visual appeal by collaborating with POSCO, which has led the development of structural material technology in Korea.
Seoul City aims to set a precedent for flexibly integrating the advanced technological capabilities of private companies into public projects, thereby raising the quality of public architecture in the urban area to a new level.
The performance of exterior materials for buildings with curved and asymmetrical designs requires close coordination among materials, construction methods, and design analysis, going beyond simple construction. This is an area that is difficult to achieve without technological cooperation between the private sector and the public sector.
Final winning design of Nodeul Global Art Island international design competition, 'Sori Punggyeong' aerial walkway. Photo by Seoul City
The city and POSCO plan to form a joint working group to regularly share technical achievements and challenges at each stage, maximizing synergy.
Jieun Lee, Head of Structural Materials and Home Appliance Marketing at POSCO, said, "It is meaningful that POSCO's material technology can contribute to enhancing the quality of the city's public architecture."
Changsoo Lim, Director of Future Space Planning at Seoul City, said, "Technological cooperation with POSCO will be a great help in establishing a prior verification system for the project's stability and risk management," adding, "With this agreement, the Nodeul Global Art Island project will become a new model for successful urban design cases."
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