University of Hawai’i

The Mountain of Balance is a project that learns from its context, spans centuries of history and innovation, and imagines a sustainable, equitable, and pleasantly familiar future. Learning from Seoul, its history, its natural splendor, and its current conditions has created an inspiring place from which we have imagined a future that is better for the city, its people, and its wildlife. Formal language taken from the mountains surrounding and protecting the city, highly integrated programming to streamline and improve urban life, and a complete reintegration of nature’s plenty have all come together to present the future: natural, sustainable, and at home in Seoul.

Design Goals: Balance is the founding principle of our project and a value that we believe will preserve and uphold the natural beauty of Seoul in 100 years and beyond. Our primary goal in this design is to bring balance back into the urban fabric of Seoul and, therefore, into the lives of Seoul’s citizens. We accomplish this by closely integrating systems, ways of living, people, and nature. We are beyond the point when nature, humanity, society, and the built environment can exist as separate entities, and so the Mountain of Balance integrates how all of these different concepts come together into a sustainable and rich harmony.