JANGJI

Urban Agency, together with Siaplan, have won 3rd place in an urban planning and architecture competition to convert a bus depot into a multi-level complex development that has the features of a compact city. Due to the continuous expansion of the city of Seoul, bus garages which had been relocated away from urban areas, are being incorporated again into the middle of them. Therefore, the project is focused on giving the bus garage a new role as an Urban Connector - which naturally connects and strengthens the surrounding urban environment. There is a strong paradigm shift, from a grey, closed and disconnected bus garage to a place full of life, nature, culture and urban connections. The extension of the artificial ground dissolves the rigid limits and creates a natural flow throughout the site. The natural elements - the Jangji Stream and the surrounding parks meet in the center of this elevated platform, shaping the program along the way. The project merges residential functions (765 houses for youngsters and newly married couples) with public functions (8.500 m2 of SOC and community facilities) and a transportation hub, all on top of a bus garage. The TOD (Transit Oriented Development) connects vertically the bus depot to the center of the complex and strengthens the concept of the high-tech compact city of the future. The living SOC is a regional HUB where residents of the entire neighbourhood can interact. It will shelter facilities like sports, cultural events, local libraries and will help promote social and economic sustainability, encouraging young people to start their own businesses. Community facilities also reach the residential buildings, in the east-west setback spaces, shared spaces and planted terraces are created. By sliding the volumes of the towers, the layout maximizes the arrangement of south-facing households and allows diverse spatial configurations within a primary building with modular adaptable construction systems. Jangji Compact City can serve as a cornerstone to reshape Seoul’s future. Given the geographical status of bus stations scattered regularly on the city’s boundaries, bus garages could serve as an ideal test bed in the government-arranged plan to install 660 hydrogen charging stations nationwide by 2030. We believe this can be a great opportunity to rethink Seoul’s energy grid as well as to improve the residential and urban environment.

Size: 139,000 sqm

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Client: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Collaborators: Urban Agency, SIAPLAN

Type: Open Competition

Status: 3rd Prize

Team: Heechan Park, Kostas Poulopoulos, Henning Stüben, Ekhan Lee, Minjae Kwon, Narcisa Ionita, Borja Santurino