SGHS selected from 75 domestic and foreign entries; basic and detailed design to follow
Complex to include cultural center, experiential spaces, book café and health clinic
Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu has selected a winning design for a mixed-use cultural complex featuring a 700-seat professional performance hall to be built on the site of the former Jangan-dong community center.
The design competition drew 75 entries from domestic and foreign firms. Following a final review Wednesday, the proposal submitted by SGHS Architecture was chosen as the winner.
The project aims to carry on the cultural and leisure functions of the community center, which was demolished in 2023, while expanding performing arts and cultural facilities for the district. The new complex is intended to reflect residents' evolving lifestyles and cultural needs, bringing together performance, cultural activities, health care and recreation under one roof.
The new facility is planned at two below-ground floors and five above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 11,647 square meters. Anchoring the complex will be a roughly 700-seat professional performance hall, complemented by a cultural center, experiential spaces, a book café and a community health clinic — all arranged to serve residents in their daily lives.
The winning entry was praised for integrating the functions of multiple cultural facilities through a clear and creative spatial layout. Judges particularly noted the proposal's flexible performance hall design, which can accommodate exhibitions and other uses beyond performances, enhancing the overall utility of the space.
The district plans to refine the design by carefully considering the functional layout and circulation between the performance hall, cultural center and other facilities. The goal is to ensure easy movement between spaces while also addressing the relationship between the building's exterior and its surrounding environment.
The site sits adjacent to the Jungnangcheon stream and Jangpyeong Neighborhood Park. The district intends to draw on this natural setting to create a space where residents can enjoy cultural activities, leisure and rest — an open, everyday cultural destination that people can visit not only for performances and events but also simply to spend time.
Building on the winning design, the district will proceed with basic and detailed design work and, after completing the necessary procedures, aims to have the complex completed by 2030.
"The community center has long been part of residents' daily lives, and the new one must be reborn as the cultural space they have been waiting for," Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said. "We will make it Dongdaemun-gu's signature cultural destination — a place where anyone can enjoy high-quality performances and culture close to home and naturally linger as part of their everyday lives."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
