Brickwell’s Design Concept:
The 35-17 Tongui-dong site is less than 50 meters from the western wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The region around 35-17 Tongui-dong is regarded as the grounds of Changui Palace, one of those grounds where King Yeongjo once stayed. A plot about 35-17 Tongui-dong swapped hands several times between the Oriental Development Company, the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, and the owner, with the land staying unattended to. The 35 Tongui-dong area was subdivided into about 30 small plots, so narrow alleys emerged, and some served as private roads. Then, the area was filled with medium-to-large residential plots in a way so that when you divided it, you were wholly shielded from the bustle of the city. The result is an unprecedented pedestrian space spanning from the historic town of Hanyang of the Joseon Dynasty to the contemporary city of Seoul, providing simultaneous multi-scalar sequencing of mega roads and small alleys, which used to be typical for Seoul’s historic downtown. © Kyungsub Shin
The Baeksong site, situated west of plots 35-17, held the most giant and most beautiful white pine in all of Korea, even a designated natural monument until it died in 1991 to disappear in 1997. Now, just a few newly planted white pines together with the stump of the old one remind the viewer. One could see only the truncated base and only three second-generation white pines. However, it is a surprise and a symbolic show of an unusual pedestrian atmosphere in...