Event held Friday at Gangbuk Arts and Culture Center draws about 400 residents and contractors; district rebrands new office project as 'Gangbuk-gu Administrative Complex Town'
Gangbuk-gu in Seoul successfully completed the demolition of six buildings — including the existing district office — on the new office construction site, and held a pre-construction briefing Friday.
The briefing, held at Gangbuk Sonamoo Hall inside the Gangbuk Arts and Culture Center, drew about 400 residents, including neighborhood association heads and community council members, along with representatives from 15 construction companies that had pre-registered to attend.
The pre-construction briefing was organized ahead of the contractor bidding process to transparently share project details — including design drawings, construction methods and work volumes — with the industry, encouraging capable contractors to participate actively and ensuring a fair, competitive selection process. Updates on the progress of the new office construction and the project's upcoming schedule were also shared to build residents' understanding and trust.
The event opened with a progress report on the new office construction project by Yoo Jae-deuk, the public architecture manager, followed by District Mayor Jeong Chang-su's proclamation of the vision for the Gangbuk-gu Administrative Complex Town and a design briefing by architecture firm Haeahn Architecture.
The vision proclamation rebranded the project — previously known as the "Gangbuk-gu New District Office Construction Project" — as the "Gangbuk-gu Administrative Complex Town Construction Project." The new name better highlights the large-scale resident amenities planned for the site, including an observation deck, a performance hall and a book lounge, with the aim of raising the project's public profile. Gangbuk-gu also announced its intention to shift the focus from simply supplying facilities to achieving operational outcomes, with the goal of creating a globally recognized destination for both domestic and international visitors.
The new Gangbuk-gu district office is planned as a mixed-use complex at 192-59 Suyu-dong, with six below-ground floors, 17 above-ground floors and a total floor area of approximately 69,080 square meters. The district plans to consolidate key administrative institutions — including the district office, a community service center, a public health center and the district council — under one roof to build a more efficient administrative system. The ground floor, lifted to create open space beneath the building, will serve as a community gathering space functioning as a park and plaza, while a basement parking lot with more than 400 spaces is expected to help ease the parking shortage around Suyu Station.
The district has been carrying out basic and detailed design work based on "Gangbuk Samgyeong," the winning entry from an international design competition held in 2024 that drew 133 firms across 94 teams from 26 countries. Design work began in September 2024 and is now in its final stages, approximately two years into the process.
The original completion target of December 2028, set in the early stages of the project, has been adjusted to November 2030 to reflect actual design and construction conditions. Although the design and construction timeline has extended beyond the initial schedule, the district shortened the overall construction period by one year and eight months by carrying out preliminary work in advance — including demolition, excavation surveys for buried cultural heritage, water and sewage pipe relocation, bypass road construction and geothermal energy installation.
The district plans to maintain strict schedule management and respond to potential variables during construction to meet the November 2030 completion target.
"We will select a capable construction company through a fair and transparent competition to bring the new office building — chosen as the top public architecture design at the Seoul Metropolitan Government Design Awards — to life exactly as envisioned in the renderings," District Mayor Jeong Chang-su said. "We will press ahead without wavering toward an August 2027 groundbreaking, turning the new Gangbuk-gu district office from design into reality." He added that the new building, reborn as the Gangbuk-gu Administrative Complex Town, "will be a source of pride for Gangbuk and a global landmark for Seoul, injecting vitality into the local commercial district and driving dynamic change across the city."
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