continuing....

rambling...

a skyline. It isn’t like the height-obsessed skyline of Shanghai, or the tight, congested skyline of Hong Kong. sprinkled towers?

Beijing~ruthlessly unsentimental today as it was in Mao’s time, with little patience for history if it gets in the way of development, and yet the city doesn’t feel as if it were defined solely by growth, like Shanghai, or like the kind of entirely manufactured environment that you see in Dubai
completely override its own history and yet not surrender its identity?

like-
thad j thesis- hermit-socialite-spa-the extreme. the polite
challenge currently established-despite well working- hotel design -problem: integrate 3 different elements- all separate
hermit: do they even need units? why integral layout? bathroom?
toyo ito mesh column structure work well?

face of city what

unique historical character and identity of many European cities are increasingly threatened by the pressures of standardization (eg. standard design of buildings and urban spaces, building materials)
7 other medium-sized cities in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, is to enhance their attractiveness by building and improving their image and identity

pilot investments will be made around different types of public spaces to give them more identity using innovative design techniques such as light and sound systems. Another facet of city identity concerns its legibility & accessibility both to outside visitors and its residents.

Innovative city information systems and new signage will be tested in various pilot locations.

The world goes city: The "Urban Millenium" is beginning

The information society is one of the drivers behind urban change. Globalization is another driver because cities and regions are nowadays competing on human resources, investments and image on a global basis.
social polarization and spatial fragmentation.

At the same time global competitiveness has to be safeguarded as well as social inclusion has to be stimulated. In times of globalisation, growing personal mobility and a media driven society, city marketing has gained a lot of attention as an instrument to compete with other cities and regions. City image and urban identity have become key issues of mayors, city managers and urban planners. It has become essential to emotionally bind local residents and businesses to a city (civic pride), and to attract outside interest and invest in the city. Tools used to market the city to citizens and abroad are branding, websites, sporting and cultural events and institutions, landmark buildings and projects, architecture and public space.

dotcity

Seoul
mid-1997. with the financial crisis looming, Seoul was a very workman-like city, its residents seemingly always in a hurry and not a lot of attention given to livability.

all changed in the years following the financial crisis

Gone was the miasma of traffic lanes snaking around the City Hall and Plaza Hotel, replaced by a spacious patch of green grass now for concerts (and sometimes mass demonstrations – a feature of Seoul life that hasn't changed at all).

*Also gone was the unsightly expressway that used to cover the Cheonggyecheon stream, leading into the city. In its place, the original stream had been opened up to public view for the first time in decades, and a pedestrian thoroughfare built next to it to allow citizens to enjoy this little piece of nature in one of Asia's biggest cities.

Dedicated lanes for buses also make huge difference to traffic flows,

number of great coffee shops and restaurants excellent bars and restaurants bookshops
Seoul is as crowded and as noisy as ever But that's always been part of its charm. I'd be sad to see pavement protests by fist-pumping demonstrators go by the wayside. enjoy the rush and bustle of the streets,




Hi-Seoul Festival
using seoul plaza as venue for various activities

eg. seoul plaza will be transformed into what organizers are calling the world's biggest nightclub

for eight consecutive nights, the area in front of city hall will become an outdoor dance venue. a main performance stage, called the "digital palace" will be complemented by an 18 meter-high, 60 meter-wide ceiling of colored lights. additionally, korea's largest "water curtain" (10 x 60 meters) will act as a media show screen during the evening concerts. koreans' penchant for public consumption of alcohol makes me hopeful.

choose your poison:

may 4 (sunday): opening festival dance to include a sarangpae team, a children's chorus, namsadang nori (tightrope walking) and b-boy groups along with your favorite singer and mine, the black/korean chanteuse insooni.
monday: hip hop
tuesday: dance party
wednesdsay: swing and jazz
thursday: trot medley (?)
friday: latin
saturday: rock
sunday: special closing featuring seoul chamber orchestra

so,



meet me @ City Hall.............





more organized & new attempt @ Thesis

Seoul, against other fast-developing metropolises in Asia, is currently at fierce competition to raise an iconic structure to represent the city globally. The majority of these cases attempt to resolve this issue by creating a sculptural object of powerful aura, but this method remains effective only if there is suitable urban context to support and justify the addition. The specificity of Seoul near the City Hall causes discrepancy with this iconic approach, due to the complexity and the fast, compressed developmental nature (which becomes a common trait among contemporary Asian urban conditions) a new translation to provided service for this hyper-occupied versatile space is in demand.

= > City Hall Extension

site parameter

City Hall
Project Name: Seoul City Hall Extension Design
Location: Taepyeong-Ro, 1-31, Junggo, Seoul
Zoning: Commercial District, Central Aesthetic Zone, Fire Prevention zone
Site area: 12,709.4 ㎡

content
‘unification strategy’ -avoiding monumentality ?
provide interesting vistas in a rather regular urban context

synthesize the past and the present
define what is “public” in a completely new way.

Create a continuity with Seoul’s six hundred year old history while co-existing harmoniously with the larger future of the 21st century and beyond; to help create an identity that the diverse 10 million-plus citizens of Seoul can share.

Seoulites
bigger site context

connect to Seoul Plaza+Sejongro with its significant public spaces
eg. Gyeongbok Palace, Duksoo Palace, and the Sejong Center

maintaining harmony with surrounding office towers of similar scale
+ respect to the iconic old City Hall structure and drawing from the diverse urban context the site’s full potential

program
luxury condo, symphony hall, office space, commercial and a central public courtyard
Innovative city information systems library

approach
Strategic advantage for location and competition -
Intuitive usage
yellow page terms like weather, traffic, taxi could become more intuitively accessible and usable
Innovative e-governement
communication infrastructure
ease the interaction of the city government, administration and institutions with residents, organizations and businesses
cultural hotspot of the city

advisor- shun kanda
reader- dan chen

reading
DYNAMIC DIGITAL REPRESENTATIONS IN ARCHITECTURE: VISIONS IN MOTION.
DIGITAL MATERIALITY IN ARCHITECTURE.
Spaces speak, are you listening? : experiencing aural architecture / Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter.
Digitalia : architecture and the digital, the environmental and the avant-garde / Susannah Hagan.
The media city : media, architecture and urban space / Scott McQuire.Spaces speak, are you listening? : experiencing aural architecture / Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter.
Reflect: Building in the Digital Media City Seoul, Korea
Harold Abelson, Blowon to Bits: your life, liverty and
Mel Alexenberg, Educating artists for the future: learning at the intersections of art, science, technology, and culture
Michael Danziger,Information visulatization for the people

thesis
Justin Shea


contacts

mass studies
wonmi choi