Seun Sangga: Seoul in 1.2 km

Traditional Korean siting strategies place heavy emphasis on nature and specifically take advantage of topographic changes within the site. Further, studying the hybridization of Seoul’s public spaces within Jongno helps understand the balance between site, landscape, and community. The Seun Sangga, Korea’s first mixed-use residential and commercial complex, consists of eight buildings along half a mile. When constructed, the complex lost a lot of the traditional values tying the site back to nature. Studying the effects of rapid modernization and the hybridization of public spaces within the Jongno district, this thesis proposes to re-imagine the Seun Sangga buildings while studying their connection to nature and the Jongno community.