Seoul
Performing Arts Centre
Culture

Like many remarkable and unique places in cities, the Nodeul Island should become a significant place in Seoul and memorable to its visitors. Presently, Nodeul connects the bridges spanning over the Han-river and connecting Seoul’s riverbanks. The city of Seoul called for an architectural and urban planning competition, in order to bind it into the urban framework and give it an appropriate use and appearance.

Much like the Museum Island in Berlin or the Central Park in New York, the Nodeul island has the potential to contribute to the identity of the city of Seoul.

The new district’s identity and appearance is shaped by two main public buildings, opera house and concert hall. In order to highlight Nodeul’s connection to the city fabric, Seoul’s urban grid is expanded to the island. Additional public and educational uses supplement the Performing arts centre. These functions help to sharpen the islands identity; their small scale connects the district to its neighbouring areas and provides a contrast to the large scale opera house and concert hall. These two uses are housed in separate buildings, facing each other in order to create a spatial connection while remaining embedded in their particular urban context. These two structures are set in a dense, urban fabric, their luminous cladding is widely visible and radiates through the city.

The roof of the opera house provides a panoramic view on the Gang Nam skyline, the concert hall on the Gang Book and the Hangan river. These various panoramic views are deliberately staged and organised, blurring the boundary between stage and reality. The neighbouring building blocks frame the visitors’ views on Seoul and its landmarks. Analog to a movie sequence, these views add up to a kaleidoscopic addition of images and perceptions of Seoul.