Carrying the historic legacy of the Korean industrial era, the oil depot site has been forgotten and abandoned for many years. Disconnected from its surrounding communities, the site has been overlooked by the irresistible flow of Seoul’s development and opportunities. Our competition proposal is about re-discovering the area through creation of a narrative that weaves the old and new into an experiential landscape, creating a cultural park celebrating South Korea’s industrial heritage.
The key to unlock the potential of the site lies not only in creative ideas turning the former oil tanks into iconic cultural spaces, but also in the careful delivery process of remediation of the landscape and a network of open spaces and pedestrian links between the industrial objects. The journey through this landscape evolves through different themes of each oil tank, connected through an elevated tree walk, gently falling from its highest point at the entrance to the park, to the ground level at the end of the journey, leading to a new visitor centre.
A minimalistic approach to the spaces within the tanks allows their individual spatial character to come forward, creating five different immersive atmospheres: Time, Space, Nature, People and Memory – engaging the senses through light, texture, scent and materiality. The elevated tree walk provides experiential movement between the tanks with spectacular views towards the city. The wild natural surrounding forest rising steeply beyond the tanks is accentuated by the juxtaposition of formal and informal landscape arrangement, creating an open park in the sheltered central area for social activities such as picnics, outdoor performances and play.
Mapo Tanks Industrial Park Regeneration in Seoul
Location | Seoul, South Korea
Client | Seoul Metropolitan Government
Team | Marko&Placemakers + Jin Seok Park (Kyungnam University), Mingyu Seol, Sung Hyo Choi + Davo Architects
Images & text | © Marko&Placemakers, Jin Seok Park, Mingyu Seol, Sung Hyo Choi, Davo Architects
Status | Open Design Competition
