Libeskind wins US$ 20 billion Seoul competition

US-based Studio Daniel Libeskind has won the international master plan competition to create a 34 million ft2 (3.16 million m2), US$ 20 billion new river front development in Seoul, South Korea for Yongsan Development Co.

The Yongsan International Business District of Seoul will be a new large-scale district featuring a cluster of residential, office and retail neighbourhoods in an extensive urban park along the Han River.

The plan, called Archipelago 21 because each of the linked neighborhoods functions like an "island" within a "sea of green park space", will contain a total of 34 million ft2 (3.16 million m2) of built area and is expected to break ground in 2011.

The district will also contain new cultural institutions, educational facilities and rapid transportation systems.

Commenting on the win, Daniel Libeskind said, "The idea is to create a 21st Century destination that is at once transformative, vibrant, sustainable and diverse. I wanted to make each form, each place, each neighborhood as varied and distinctive as possible. The plan, and each building within it, should reflect the vertical and cultural complexity of the heart of Seoul.