Sleeping Giant

Seoul has emerged from its chrysalis. The tremendous economic boom that began after the end of the Korean War (and which continues to this day) has transformed the city into a global metropolis within the space of a single generation: from two million inhabitants in 1960 to ten million in 1990 and twenty-four million today. This makes the Seoul Capital Area the second largest metropolitan area in the world, after its long-standing rival, Tokyo.

It is an incredible development, but not an unusual one in the context of Asia's many urban agglomerations. Yet despite its size and vigor, Seoul is not as well known in the West as it should be. That is due not least to the megacity's "loss of identity": Seoul is a sea of buildings on a monstrous scale, which spills over the landscape without any consideration of the very interesting topography. In order to regenerate an urban landscape and endow it with a distinct identity for the first time here since the age of Modernism, the Seoul Architecture Proclamation was issued last year. It sets out three objectives of urban development: to revive history, restore nature and revitalize daily life for the inhabitants. These three points have been officially adopted as goals by the new mayor of the city together with the architects' association.

Revival of History
An exhibition at the Architecture Forum Aedes in the Pfefferberg in Berlin is presenting (for the first time in the West) seven current projects from the new Seoul that illustrate these approaches: the conservation and partial restoration of the old city wall, the preservation of Baeksa village, the Sewoon mega-complex, Gija-chon new village, the development of Yongsan Park, the rehabilitation of Mapo oil depot, and the phenomenon of community building groups in Seoul.

Seoul has lost the greater part of its historic city walls, which were once dominant features of the city. Sections of them are now being painstakingly reconstructed as part of a trail that you can follow on foot around the limits of the inner city. Of the four large and five small gates in the walls, those that still existed in the post-war years were soon reduced to the status of picture-postcard backdrops. The great south gate, Sungnyemun, listed as 'National Treasure No. 1', was solemnly reopened in 2013 after three years of restoration work to repair fire damage. It had survived Japanese pillaging, the colonial era and wartime, but not the desperation of a Korean civilian, who set fire to it out of anger over his treatment by the authorities. Urban development in the neighborhood had never taken Sungnyemun into consideration and the designs of nearby company headquarters and bank offices had made no attempt to relate to it. Only a few years ago, the gate was still inaccessible to pedestrians, an island lost in the roar of traffic, but today it stands in the oasis of a park, accompanied by a restored section of city wall. After decades of the boom mentality, Seoul's city authorities are beginning to appreciate the old, because they have learned its value in strengthening identity.

Preservation and Change?
The Seoul of today does not strive to expand yet further, but rather to be a "meta-city" with the aim of achieving a "balance between preservation and change." That is what is written in the Seoul Proclamation. "Architecture belongs to the public. The city and architecture are inextricably linked, the city and architecture form the basis of our lives," is how Seung H-Sang, the new city architect of Seoul, puts it - staying safely abstract for the time being. Seoul became the capital of the Joseon Dynasty in the 14th century, which means that it has been the capital of an ambitious nation between China and Japan for around 700 years. Yet Seoul did not enter the global consciousness until the 1988 Summer Olympics. Despite a uniquely low birth rate, huge areas are still being earmarked for construction and new land is being created by infilling, because domestic migration continues unabated and the building stock is generally of a poor quality. In 2010, when Seoul bore the title of "World Design Capital," it seemed as if South Korea was already a post-industrial society, although the dominant sectors of the economy are heavy industry, the automotive industry and consumer electronics.

Hub and Soul of Asia
The city is a magnet for Koreans; it offers the best schools and universities, the best career opportunities and the best jobs. In Korea, a distinction is made between Seoul, the city, and Ssigeol, the country - and the difference between the two seems to be increasing. To break the dominance of Seoul, it has been decided to establish a new capital city called Sejong, which is planned to have half a million inhabitants by 2030.

Seoul, once the seat of the administration of the Japanese colony of "Chosen," is dotted with office buildings, banks, department stores and Shinto shrines that, after Korea regained its independence, remained as uncomfortable reminders of an era of foreign domination. Perceived as mere historical ballast, they are still being demolished or altered beyond recognition, even today.

The royal palaces of the city, on the other hand, have been rediscovered as built repositories of Korean identity and great efforts are being made to restore them faithfully to their original state. The layout of the old city has not changed significantly within the last 700 years: the palaces are aligned according to geomantic principles – a mountain to the north, a river to the south – and their legacy is still evident. Seoul, however, has long emerged from the chrysalis of the ancient royal domain and is now spreading its wings as a modern mega-city. The new boom district of Gangnam, south of the Han River, shows the development of Seoul in fast-forward mode. In the 1950s, rice and vegetables were still cultivated here. Since then, the paddy fields have already been built upon four or five times over.

The Pulse of the City
Build, demolish, rebuild – that is the rhythm of the city: here they build not for eternity, but for a financial return. A time frame of twenty to thirty years is quite sufficient for that, so function is correspondingly more important than aesthetics. In the interests of a car-friendly city, the mountains were perforated with tunnels and the watercourses shifted for elevated expressways. In many places, this is now being reversed: rivers are being renatured and pedestrian overpasses taken down. At the same time, the "Hanok house," a traditional U-shaped wooden house with a courtyard, is experiencing a revival. The district of Bukchon is a good example of how a neighborhood built on a small scale can attract people who want to spend time in teahouses, restaurants, or galleries and bask in the aura of a bygone age. The exhibition in Berlin, which has been produced in cooperation with the City of Seoul, shows Seoul as a city in flux, which is constantly reinventing itself and never tires of doing so.

More about the exhibition
Architekturgalerie Aedes Am Pfefferberg
Christinenstraße 18-19, Berlin
Exhibition runs until 9th October 2014
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 11:00-18:30; Sat-Sun 13:00-17:00

Ulf Meyer studied architecture in Berlin and Chicago. He has worked for Shigeru Ban Architects in Tokyo and has taught at Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Tamkang University in Taiwan. Meyer now lives in Berlin, where he works as an architectural journalist.

This article originally appeared in the German-Architects eMagaze as "Schlafender Riese." Translation by Richard Toovey.