Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture to host exhibitions, lectures, and tours from autumn to winter

At the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture located near the Deoksugung Palace stone wall path, a series of exhibitions, lectures, and tour programs will be held to explore the current state of Seoul's architecture and global architectural trends. Every Saturday, the hall will remain open until 9 PM, offering night viewing opportunities.
 

The Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture announced that from September to February of next year, it will conduct the 18th Seoul Architecture Festival, a special exhibition curated by the Danish architecture group BIG, the Seoul Urban Architecture Exchange Exhibition, and various citizen programs.

The currently ongoing '18th Seoul Architecture Festival' will be held until October 11 under the theme 'Assembling Seoul, Discovery of Seoul.' Through the main theme exhibition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government Architecture Awards winners, and the UAUS exhibition, it introduces the current state of Seoul's architecture and the architectural ideas of the next generation.

From November 6, the first special exhibition in Korea by the Danish architecture group BIG will be held until February 28 of next year. The exhibition and models are organized around 10 architectural materials, such as stone, earth, concrete, metal, and wood, to allow visitors to observe the impact these materials have on architecture and urban spaces.

BIG is an architecture group founded by architect Bjarke Ingels, which has designed projects such as 'CopenHill' in Copenhagen and 'VIA 57 West' in New York. In this exhibition, the past and present of architecture are examined through architectural materials, posing questions about sustainable urban architecture.

The 'Seoul Urban Architecture Exchange Exhibition' will follow from November 26. Held until February 28 of next year, this exhibition introduces the achievements of exchanges shared with domestic and international cities through the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism and shows the challenges and cases that cities have shared through architecture and space.

Programs are also prepared where visitors can hear directly from architects and curators. On October 30, a curator will explain the process of exhibition planning and spatial production, and on November 5, BIG founder Bjarke Ingels will give a special lecture on the theme of 'Future Urban Architecture.' On November 7, architect Lee Jin-ho, who works at BIG, is scheduled to introduce his experience with global projects.

Urban architecture tours, which involve visiting buildings around the exhibition hall, will also be conducted. In the 'Gyeongbokgung Palace East Tour' on October 15, visitors will look at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul, Art Center Lim, and Jeongdok Public Library. In the 'Cheonggyecheon Stream Tour' on November 12, visitors will follow Kyungdong Presbyterian Church, Arium, Supyogyo Bridge, and Samil Building to view the works of modern architects such as Kim Jung-up and Kim Swoo-geun and their urban spaces.

'Seoul Urban Architecture School' for children and families will also operate in October and November. Along with lectures on themes such as architectural design in the AI era, residential spaces using VR, and big data-based urban analysis, experiential programs such as making our neighborhood and making windows will be conducted.

Major lectures and programs are scheduled to be provided via online live streaming and recorded videos. This is intended to allow citizens who find it difficult to visit in person to access the related content.

Every Saturday, the operating hours of the exhibition hall will be extended until 9 PM. During the night opening hours, along with free viewing, night docent tours where professional commentators explain the exhibitions will also be operated to expand viewing opportunities during the evening.

Ahn Dae-hee, the Seoul Metropolitan Government Future Space Planning Officer, said, "Through various programs such as the 18th Seoul Architecture Festival, the BIG special exhibition, architect lectures, and urban architecture tours, we have enabled citizens to encounter architecture more closely." He added, "We will continue to prepare programs that allow even citizens who do not know much about architecture to view the spaces in their daily lives in a new way."