Published Date : Nov 02, 2021 / Edited Date : Jun 13, 2023
Walk from Seoul Tourism Plaza to Gwanghwamun Square.
Many buildings make up a city, and each one contains its own story. In a way, they serve as a window to a city’s culture and history. As for Seoul, you might be able to better understand the complex yet unique nature of South Korea’s capital by knowing more about its buildings. Now, let’s take a walk through the urban landscapes of Seoul and discover all the amazing buildings out there.
The first stop on our journey is 31 Building, which is home to Seoul Tourism Plaza, a new hub for Seoul tourism. Let’s venture out on our architectural journey, starting from the 31 Building, designed by famed architect, Kim Jung-eup, and wrapping up at the essential tourist hot spot, Gwanghwamun.
Once Stood High as the Tallest in Seoul
#31Building & #SeoulTourismPlaza
If you walk along the Cheonggyecheon Stream, you will see a dark high-rise. That high-rise is none other than the famous 31 Building built in 1970 and designed by famed architect, Kim Jung-eup. It once held a noteworthy title as the “tallest building in Seoul,” while being comprised of an architectural design and later built by the hands of an indigenous Korean crew.
The building was designed and constructed following the International Style, a major architectural style popular in Europe and the US in the mid-20th century. The lower part of the building consists of pilotis (spaces created by elevating a building with at least two stories in whole or in part, or a part of the column), while the upper has a proportional pattern, making you feel the structure’s stability and beauty. On top of these architectural and historical features, 31 Building has undergone renovation having incorporated some modern elements. Glass curtain walls (external walls that do not provide support and use light materials like glass or aluminum panels, especially in high-rise buildings) a sunken garden (plazas or gardens located one or two steps lower than the surrounding ground level with an open top to let in sunlight), and staircases on the first and second floors are the most noticeable.
* Pilotis : Spaces created by elevating a building with at least two stories in whole or in part, or a part of the column.
* Curtain Wall : External walls that do not provide support and use light materials like glass or aluminum panels, especially in high-rise buildings.
* Sunken Garden : Plazas or gardens located one or two steps lower than the surrounding ground level with an open top to let in sunlight.
Upon entering the building, you are welcomed by black and white contrast ceilings, metal columns reflecting the interior, and fancy media screens. The exposed and unfinished structure, which juxtaposes a more modern atmosphere in order to retain the remnants of the old 31 Building. The Tourist Café on the first floor is run by Seoul Tourism Plaza, a new tourism hub in Seoul travel occupying up to the 9th floor of 31 Building. You can get a lot of travel information here, so we recommend you to check it out!
Uniquely Korean Architecture Displaying Modernism with Tradition
#SejongCenter
If you walk past 31 Building towards Gwanghwamun Square, you will come across the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, a landmark behind the statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin on Sejong-daero. Having first opened its doors in 1978, the center was designed by architect, Eom Deok-mun, and radiates an oriental and grandiose vibe among the other modern buildings in Gwanghwamun.
It utilizes an architectural technique featuring rows of columns, which makes them feel similar to the wall. The architect thought about how to connect the building with the square while effectively separating them and used rows of columns as a solution. With rows of columns and stairs in the front, the performance and exhibition halls remain separated and quiet from Sejong-daero, the widest, busiest, and most complex road in Seoul. Rows and stairs connect with roads and squares, resolving the heavy and overwhelming feel of the building consisting of huge masses of concrete and materials.
Various parts of the building encapsulate traditional Korean architecture style, including entasis columns (columns usually found in traditional Korean buildings that make the structure more proportionately grandiose with a protruding center) interpreted and applied in a modern way. This style is also represented in traditional Korean patterns made of aluminum cast iron and granite on the exterior.
Check out various cultural performances and exhibitions in Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, and enjoy the variety of different spaces all around that capture traditional architectural techniques.
* entasis columns : Columns usually found in traditional Korean buildings that make the structure more proportionately grandiose with a protruding center.
If you walk across the street past the statue of King Sejong the Great from the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, you will encounter the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History where you can explore the history of Korea at a glance. Located on Sejong-daero with many of Korea’s most symbolic places, the museum building is meant to preserve the memories of various Korean historical events, which had occurred in front of Gwanghwamun Square.
The museum is open from all directions with a focus on connecting the city and the building together, ultimately serving as a bridge that encourages people to enter naturally and connects them with history. It creates green spaces from the plaza connected to the sidewalk to the rooftop garden and makes them available to the public, breathing life into the center of Seoul where green spaces and plazas are disappearing.
What is notable about the façade (the front part of a building with a main entrance that determines the first and overall impression) of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History is that it uses U glass. While U glass has some aesthetic effect as it has soft white light and becomes luminescent at night, it is also eco-friendly as it prevents direct sunlight from entering the interior and solely relies on scattered light to reduce the heating load.
* façade : the front part of a building with a main entrance that determines the first and overall impression
The building was once occupied by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. More than 60% of existing structures were recycled and remodeled to minimize waste created during the demolition of the existing building. At the same time, the functioning of the building was enhanced to reduce energy consumption.
A fantastic opportunity awaits you to experience Korea’s past and present in the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, which boldly stands as an architectural structure embodying new values and roles in the implementation of eco-friendly renovation.
Buildings and architecture form a city, and cities come together to form a country. And that’s why architecture reflects the history and culture of a city as a component of the city. Seoul X Archibear’s A Tour of Seoul’s Streetside Architecture was designed to provide a fresh perspective on the city by sharing the anecdotes of architectural culture while traveling around South Korea’s capital.
Well-built and distinctive architecture can serve as a piece of art carved in our city. And in Seoul, which is rich with diverse history and characteristics, there are beautiful buildings that are worth paying a visit. We hope that this special series helps promote Seoul as an ideal travel destination and invite everyone to experience the hidden architectural beauty in Seoul’s everyday life.
A Tour of Seoul’s Streetside Architecture series was produced by Visit Seoul in collaboration with ArchiBear, a brand created by the architectural culture and travel content company, Haas Studio.
Curious to get more information on architectural tourism in Seoul?
본 코스는 보행약자(거동이 불편한 고령자, 장애인, 유모차 이용자 등)를 위한 코스입니다.
보호자를 동반하지 않을 시 이용이 불가능 합니다.※ 보행약자 1명당 보호자 최소 1인 이상 동반 ※ 전동보장구(전동휠체어, 전동스쿠터 등) 사용자의 경우 보호자 1인당 보행약자 최대 4인까지 동반 가능
희망하시는 날짜 및 코스에 활동가능한 해설사가 없는 경우 예약은 취소될 수 있습니다.
예약확인을 위해 도보관광 사무국(02-6925-0777)에서 확인 연락이 진행됩니다.(최소 5일~한달 전)3회 이상 전화통화가 이뤄지지 않을 시 예약이 취소될 수 있습니다.
해설 진행 시 발생하는 안전사고에 대해서 도보관광 사무국과 서울문화관광해설사는 책임을 지지 않습니다.
미세먼지 비상저감조치 발령 및 기타 기상악화(폭염, 태풍, 폭우 등)로 인해 도보관광 운영이 어려운 경우 모든 예약은 일괄 취소됩니다. (관광일 전날 기준)
Reservations must be made at least three days prior to the tour date.
Additional reservations, one or two days before the tour starts, are only allowed for the tour that is already fixed.
In the case of group tour, more than 10people, please contact us by e-mail.
Reservations for the following month are available from the 15th of the current month.
Please refrain from participating in any tour programs should you be experiencing any symptoms, including fever, coughing, congestion, muscle pain, stuffy nose, and/or sore throat.
Reservations for tourists 14 years & under without an accompanying adult or guardian shall be canceled on site.
All reservations will be canceled in the event of a weather warning being issued. (e.g. heatwave, typhoon, heavy rain, fine dust, etc.) (Cancellation will be processed immediately upon implementation)
※ Please always check the weather warning on the day of the reservation on the site below.
(https://www.accuweather.com/en/kr/seoul/226081/weather-forecast/226081)
The Seoul Guided Walking Tour administration office and tour guide affiliates are not responsible for any accidents that happen to occur during the tour program.
Reservation shall be made at least 1 week before the tour day.
The course is for tourists with mobility problems (Senior, people with disability, stroller user).
You may not use the course without an assistant (or companion) ※ At least one assistant shall accompany a tourist with mobility problem ※ In case of electric assisting device users (electric wheelchair, electric scooter users), one assistant may accompany up to 4 tourists with mobility problem
Reservation may be canceled when a guide is unavailable on the desired date and course.
Seoul Guided Walking Tour Office (02-6925-0777) will contact you to confirm reservation. (At least 5 days~1 month before tour day) Reservation may be canceled when Seoul Guided Walking Tour Office cannot reach you for more than 3 times.
Seoul Guided Walking Tour Office and Seoul culture and tourism guide are not liable for the safety accidents during the Seoul Guided Walking Tour.
All reservations will be canceled in the event of a weather warning being issued. (e.g. heatwave, typhoon, heavy rain, fine dust, etc.) (Cancellation will be processed immediately upon implementation)
※ Please always check the weather warning on the day of the reservation on the site below.
(https://www.accuweather.com/en/kr/seoul/226081/weather-forecast/226081)