ULI Global Awards for Excellence: D-Cube City, Seoul, South Korea

Located in the capital city of Seoul, South Korea, D-Cube City represents a significant new model for urban renewal and smart density, as well as mixed-use, transit-oriented development.

Organic building shapes and rooftop  gardens evoke elements of traditional Korean  landscape paintings. (Daesung Industrial Co. Ltd. / Oikos Landscape)

Organic building shapes and rooftop

A waterfall descends through  a building’s interior. (Hiroyuki Kawano)

A waterfall descends through

Developer: Daesung Industrial
Designers: The Jerde Partnership and Samoo Architects & Engineers
Landscape: Oikos Design
Construction: Daesung Engineering & Construction

Located in the capital city of Seoul, South Korea, D-Cube City represents a significant new model for urban renewal and smart density, as well as mixed-use, transit-oriented development.

The integrated public district is connected to the Sindorim subway station and features more than 3.2 million square feet (300,000 sq m) of office space and a five-star Sheraton hotel in a high-rise tower, a multilevel leisure and cultural complex, and more than six acres (2.4 ha) of public landscape, parks, and plazas.

D-Cube City has emerged as Seoul’s primary live/work/play destination—a vibrant pedestrian-oriented district with unique shops and restaurants in its six-level, 860,000-square-foot (80,000 sq m) commercial complex, capped by a 1,400-seat performance hall and a green roof. The 42-story landmark office and hotel tower rises from the commercial district, and a new public park connects the project to the metro, the river, and recreational facilities. Two adjacent 50-story residential towers complete the new urban complex.

D-Cube City’s vertical urban land use combines these office, hotel, residential, retail, entertainment, and cultural uses with over 180,000 square feet (17,000 sq m) of landscaped gardens, rooftops, parks, and plazas to create a major new public space in the highly dense capital city of more than 10 million people.

Located near the Yeouido district, south of the Hangang River, in a predominantly industrial zone, the project site formerly was home to a large coal processing plant owned by the developer, Daesung Industrial Co. Transformation of the site into a mixed-use public district represents a milestone for land redevelopment in Korea and acts as a catalyst for the continued growth and evolution of the area into a vibrant urban hub.

Aerial view of a public park. (Daesung Industrial Co. Ltd. / Oikos Landscape)

Aerial view of a public park. (Daesung Industrial Co. Ltd. / Oikos Landscape)

The project includes a 1,400-seat  performance hall. (Hiroyuki Kawano)

The project includes a 1,400-seat

The project site plan.

The project site plan.

Daniel Lobo is the Senior Director of Awards, Education and Advisory Group, for the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research institute that focuses on issues of land use, real estate and urban development. The mission of the Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Prior to joining ULI Mr. Lobo was an independent consultant working as project manager for a variety of urban and research initiatives, in particular facilitating open cultural urban interventions internationally, and new media research. Earlier he worked extensively as project manager for the Center for Communities by Design at the American Institute of Architects, and as Urban Designer at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill LLP. He holds a MSc City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics, and a BA (Honors) from the School of Architecture and Interior Design at London Metropolitan University.
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