Old Apgujeong apartments compete for high-end reconstruction design

A rendering of Apgujeong District 2 Reconstruction [Photo provided by DA Architects]

Aged apartment complexes in Apgujeong in Seoul’s Gangnam District, known as the counrty’s wealthiest area, are fiercely competing for high-end design for reconstruction.

According to sources on Monday, the Apgujeong District 2 Reconstruction Association voted to entrust the reconstruction design to DA Architects at a general meeting held last Saturday.

Apgujeong District 2 is undergoing a reconstruction project to replace the existing 1,924 units with about 2,700 new units. DA Architects, SAMOO Architects & Engineers and ANU were competing for the project for the past three weeks. All three firms partnered with world-class design and landscape architecture firms to garner the vote.

DA Architects teamed up with French architect Dominique Perrault to design the reconstruction. Perrault is known for his designs for the French National Library and the Olympic Velodrome in Berlin. He was also the general director of the 3rd Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

DA Architects said the design theme for Apgujeong District 2 was inspired by the Palace of Versailles. It features a large park in the center of the complex that connects to the Han River. The size of the park is equivalent to 16 soccer fields. Six apartment buildings wrap around the park and every unit is designed to have a view of the river.

In the nearby Apgujeong District 3, competition for the reconstruction design is in full swing. The reconstruction association in this district recently held a meeting and decided to hire architect Yoo Hyun-joon, professor at Hongik University as the general design manager for the district.

“As Korea’s wealthiest village, residents are voicing that it should be rebuilt with the highest quality in both design and materials. It’s not just a simple reconstruction, but a complex that represents Gangnam and can be used as a tourist resource in the future, so we decided that a better design would come out if we empower experts rather than doing it ourselves,” said a representative of the reconstruction association.

Apgujeong District 3 will host a reconstruction design promotion exhibition from July 1-15. Heerim Architects & Planners Consortium and Haeahn Architecture Consortium have applied to participate in the event. Heerim has formed a consortium with NOW Architects and UNStudio in the Netherlands.

“Not only is it located along the Han River, but it is also a reconstruction complex with high social interest, so we are planning it as a high-end complex by collecting opinions from residents,” said a Heerim official. Haeahn has formed a consortium with H Architecture to win the design contract.

Apgujeong District 4 is also attracting renowned architectural firms. The district will open a reconstruction design exhibition from Aug. 7.