A comfortable neighborhood exercise hub equipped with the latest fitness machines has been created by repurposing an idle second-floor office space... Expected to amplify the key achievements of the 'Godae Apmaul Urban Regeneration New Deal Project' underway since 2019
Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu has created a new lifestyle-oriented fitness and welfare space at the "Godae Apmaul Sarangbang" community center in Jegi-dong as part of its participatory budgeting initiative.
The district converted an idle second-floor office area into the facility, which will open fully to residents on July 1.
The space was designed to give residents convenient access to health and fitness within their immediate neighborhood, with a total project cost of 88 million won ($57,200).
The newly created space is equipped with nine cardio and strength-training machines — including two treadmills, one stair climber and two stationary bikes — along with dumbbells and a variety of other exercise equipment, allowing residents to pursue personalized workouts. The existing office layout was reconfigured to separate exercise, changing and office areas, and an exposed-ceiling interior design was applied to maximize the sense of openness and comfort.
The facility will be managed by the "Godae Ap Village Management Social Cooperative," a group made up of local residents, with the aim of maintaining it as a resident-centered, self-governing and sustainable space. It will be open to all local residents on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a monthly fee of 20,000 won will go toward operating and maintenance costs, including liability insurance and cleaning.
The opening of the fitness and welfare space is particularly significant as it further advances the "Jegi-dong Godae Apmaul Urban Regeneration New Deal Project" that Dongdaemun-gu has consistently pursued.
Since being selected as a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport urban regeneration new deal site in 2019, Godae Apmaul has led efforts to improve housing conditions, create a safer residential environment and build a resident-driven culture of mutual benefit.
The central achievement of those efforts is the Godae Apmaul Sarangbang community center, built last year. The four-story building with a total floor area of 499.89 square meters has operated with a laundromat and cafe on the first floor, a co-working space on the third floor and a shared kitchen on the fourth floor. With the addition of the new fitness and welfare space — alongside the existing second-floor resident lounge and office area — the building has now established itself as an open, multipurpose cultural and community hub.
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