A cluster of buildings and courtyards that act as "a natural extension" of a mountain will define this campus expansion, which Dutch studio OMA is creating for Hongik University in Seoul.
The extension is being developed by OMA to simultaneously increase the amount of teaching facilities for the South Korean university and its available green space.
It will be predominantly positioned below ground level to blend in with the topography of the site, which sits on the slopes of the Wau-san mountain, with the aim of reducing its visual impact while better connecting the university to its surroundings.
OMA is expanding Hongik University in Seoul
"This is a project that shies away from conventional labels," said OMA partner Chris van Duijn. "It is a building, a masterplan and landscape design all at once," he continued. "It purposely avoids [standing] out and invites to be discovered gradually. In doing so, it aims to reestablish the connection the university once had with the neighborhood."
Hongik University dates back to the 1950s. According to OMA, it had "reached the limits for expansion" due to its proximity to the mountain and built-up Hongdae district, but Seoul Metropolitan Government recently made a field beside it available for construction.
OMA's design was the winning entry of a competition, which studios including SANAA, Herzog & de Meuron, Renzo Piano Building Workshop and David Chipperfield Architects also enter...