daniel libeskind: dream hub yongsan IBD masterplan archipelago 21

general view of the dream hub all images © studio AMD

the development site for the ‘dream hub‘ yongsan international business district(YIBD) is strategically and symbolically located within the heart of seoul, korea’s historic capital city, bordered by the nam mountains to the northeast, the majestic han river to the southwest, and the extensive yongsan park to the east. the masterplan for the ‘dream hub‘ is meant to take advantage of the perfectly positioned and inspiring site, which according to feng shui, has the most desirable orientation with the river in front of the site and mountains behind. the design guidelines were to develop a sustainable city and management with a business-oriented plan, be easily accessible, and to create a new concept of a city that is ubiquitous with ecology. besides environmental and business concerns, the YIBD is about creating a new lifestyle through a multi-functional complex, an urban setting of various living and cultural spaces working 24/7.

five architectural firms were shortlisted: asymptote, foster + partners, jerde, skidmore, owings, merrill(SOM) and studio daniel libeskind. archipelago 21 proposed by daniel libeskind has been chosen as the masterplan for YIBD, for its philosophical and visual content. libeskind’s suggested project connects the entire dream hub block into a single mega structure. each building will play its role in the construction, consisting of multi-layered parks and various retail facilities throughout. in its integrated program, each and every structure and open green space will be arranged in a way that is balanced, between the site’s landmark tower and other structures.

aerial view

green spaces will be arranged between buildings

interior profile views

water and green space will be integrated in between the infrastructure

project details competition: 2009 completion: 2024 client: yongsan development co., ltd. building area: over 3 million sqm of built area credits: structural / MEP / transportation / sustainability engineers: ARUP landscape: martha schwartz partners studio daniel libeskind is working with yongsan development, co., inc. on this project.