Design Competition Held for Five Selected Teams
Construction to Begin in December 2026, Completion Targeted for December 2029
Performance Halls and Exhibition Spaces to Include Educational and Other Infrastructure
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on August 5 that it will hold a design competition for the Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which is planned to be built in Yeouido Park.
This design competition will be conducted among the five teams that won the design contest held in 2023. The participating teams are: Park Hyungil (BAUM Architects), Oh Hoguen (Designcamp Moonpark DMP), Jung Younggyun (Heerim Architects & Planners), Patrick Schumacher from the United Kingdom (Zaha Hadid Architects), and Jean Pierre Durig from Switzerland (DURIG AG).
The Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is one of the flagship projects of the "Great Hangang Project" announced in 2023. The plan is to create a global urban complex cultural space with a total floor area of 66,000 square meters, centered around cultural and artistic performance venues. The project aims to take advantage of its location connecting the Hangang River and Yeouido Park, and to realize a space with both symbolic significance and appeal as a waterfront cultural hub. The center will include a large performance hall (1,800 seats), a medium-sized performance hall (800 seats), exhibition halls (5,670 square meters), and educational facilities, filling the site with cultural infrastructure. The project budget consists of 22.2 billion KRW for design and 401.4 billion KRW for construction. Construction of the Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled to begin in December 2026, with completion targeted for December 2029.
The city plans to select a design that ensures both creativity and public value. In particular, public accessibility for citizens will be a key consideration. The plan includes open lobbies, a public observatory with views of the Hangang River, dining facilities, and other shared spaces that anyone can freely use. The city is also considering event screens and seating that will allow live performances to be enjoyed outdoors.
In addition to performance viewing, the value of the center as an open cultural facility will also be taken into account. The design will enable a variety of programs such as architectural tours, backstage tours, and walking tours?similar to those offered at world-renowned performance venues?so that citizens and tourists visiting the Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts can enjoy new cultural experiences.
The announcement of the participating teams will be broadcast live on November 4, and the judging process will be made public. Afterward, the submitted works will be exhibited at the Sejong Lounge on the first floor of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The final winning team will be designated as the preferred negotiation partner for the design contract, and upon signing, will carry out the basic and detailed design services for 14 months.
Cho Namjun, Director of the Urban Space Headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "Through the design competition for the Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, we expect to see a highly sophisticated design proposal that will create a cultural platform naturally integrated into citizens' daily lives, provide high-quality cultural services, and become a symbolic space that enhances Seoul's cultural status on the global stage."
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