PATCH—SEOUL 2023–2123 MASTERPLAN

What does the visitor of the 4th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism take home after the exhibition? How can a 100-Year-Masterplan have a positive impact already today? These questions lead to the doors of Seoul Hall of Architecture and Urbanism, which also contains a display of excavated layers of Seoul’s history as physical matter. Sejong-daero as a neatly sealed off asphalt surface is representative of a urban planning in which the car is the main actor. Located along the historical axis, building upon the current aims to extend pedestrian walkways, this idea argues for a bold intervention. By creating a car-free zone the potential of going one step further calls for action: restoring the visual Bugakasan-Gwanaksan-Axis with a linked green network.
How to show the value of natural heritage, projecting the potential of the present into the future? Patch is a piece of sphere shaped land made of layers on which the entire Seoul is built: clay, sand, silt. The red is expansive as it contains a special QR-code that opens the door to experience a digital space: the 100-Year-Masterplan. It is laid out nearby the excavations on display can be taken by the visitor to interact with the landscapes. As the real value of this unique land-architecture-land-urbanism-philosophy started as an artistic intervention at the front door of Hall it shows the responsibility of architects and urbanists. Many cities will learn from this idea: the real value of the land of a nation is the quality of habitat created in harmony with the nature, culture and technology. A simple patch became a powerful tool to connect heritage of the past, using smart technology of the present and envisioning a future of Seoul that sets an example for the world as a whole.