100 years on: Seoul in Thermodynamic Balance

For the site in Ichon-dong, a series of interventions are proposed to restore thermodynamic balance over the next century. This includes restoring the river’s edge as a wetland, making the riverside accessible to the city’s entire length, and implementing green corridors and urban promenades to restore natural air conditioning and breeze cycles. Additionally, former concrete towers and slabs will be repurposed for heat exchange, and large thermal-battery structures will store heat for winter and release it during summer. Paved areas of the city will capture energy through thermo-electric and piezo-electric technologies, while autonomous vehicles and delivery robots ensure a near-loss-less energy cycle. The new architectural language of the city will be arranged through materials according to their ability to store, release, or reflect heat, store carbon, or clean the air, rather than according to their ability to instill meaning through symbolism.