Built before the 1988 Summer Olympics, the Seoul Olympic Stadium in the Korean capital city’s Songpa District remains an active and treasured institution. Designed by Kim Swoo-geun, the stadium represents a significant moment in Korea’s modern history and remains a venue for large concerts and the home of Seoul E-Land FC.
While the Olympic Stadium itself will stand visibly intact in its original form, this spring the Korea National Urban Planning Association staged a competition for a new design of the Jamsil Sports Complex, which includes several sporting venues and buildings adjacent to the stadium, as well as almost 160,000 square meters of total area. Following the deadline earlier this month, the jury has announced NOW Architects in collaboration with NBBJ and SAMOO, as the winners of the competition.
Their design for the new sporting grounds is dominated by green space and undulating topographical moves that give the complex the feel of an urban park with gentle, rolling hills. These slopes create underground areas that hide indoor functions while also enabling circulation paths to flow seamlessly into the stadium at different levels.
The design will pay respects to the original structure and include a 30-meter “Life Moat” that surrounds the stadium. The moat is intended for functions of everyday life without blocking views of the building's iconic form. Bridges over the "Life Moat" connect the surrounding park space to the interior concourses of the stadium, including six new garden areas inserted around the stadium’s bowl that allow views into the stadium from the exterior, as well as views of the adjacent Han river from the interior. According to the scheme, the metal stadium roof will also be replaced with curved translucent polycarbonate, bringing additional light into the upper deck and garden areas.
News via: NOW Architects.
