“Asian Review 045” ― Seoul part6
Dongdaemun Design Plaza designed by Zaha Hadid
Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is a complex cultural space designed by Zaha Hadid, and the building itself is a magnificent art. Other than various exhibitions, events such as fashion shows and presentations are going on and it is a popular spot where you can enjoy shopping and eating together with design experiences.
Former mayor Oh Se-hoon, who took office in 2006, had developed a policy called “design Seoul” and participated in the UN Global Creative Network. Accumulating various achievements such as “Urban Gallery Project”, and “10 Million-Imagination Oasis” to which citizens participate to consider public design at Seoul Plaza. Seoul has been designated as a “City of Design” in 2010 among 8 cities including Nagoya, Kobe, Beijing, and etc. (currently 21 cities in the world).
As a part of such activities, DDP was built on the site of Dongdaemun Sports Park where baseball and soccer stadiums were located. The concept is “the origin of design and creation industry” and opened in March 2014. It has a total floor area of 85,320 square meters and is divided into areas such as Oullim Square, Museum, Art Hall, Design Lab and Design Market.
Oullim Square is a 5,891 square meters square directly connected to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station on subway lines 2, 4 and 5. Synchronized to Dongdaemun commercial facilities, it is open 24 hours a day, with street art, fashion events and open markets.
The museum (13,910 square meters) occupies the 2nd basement to the 4th floor. They organize special exhibitions which needs admission, but there is also a space called “Imagination Zone” which allows adults and children to experience design for free. The walls of both sides are spaces for exhibition which has a gentle slope of 500 meter or more from the 4th floor to the 1st floor of the museum, and the ceiling has embedded rails for hanging the projector.
The art hall (16,898 square meters) has the height of 9 to 10 meter and the slanted glass at the entrance is very impressive. In the lobby there is an 18-metre information desk designed by Zaha herself. Now that the new National Stadium in Tokyo has not been realized, this is Zaha’s work which is the closest to Japan.
