PUBLIC · URBAN PAVILION
| Project Location | Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea |
| Project Type | Kiosk, urban installation, public space infrastructure |
| Project Description | Design of small functional kiosks for the public spaces of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, supporting information, ticketing, exhibition activity, orientation and street-level public use. |
| Client | Seoul Design Foundation, acting on behalf of the Seoul Metropolitan Government; invited by Young Joon Kim, supervisor of public space for Dongdaemun Design Plaza |
| Architect | UFO Architecture |
| UFO Architecture Team | Jonas Lundberg, Elian Hirsch, Jason Gill, Arrash Fakouri, Marios Chatz, Sebastien Gey, Kengo Skorick |
| Project Status | Built |
| Project Year | 2014 |
| Project Size | Approx. 4–9 sqm per kiosk |
| Design Focus | Small-scale urban architecture, public interface, modular arrangement, parallax signage, green wall integration, hot-wire-cut foam fabrication, Jesmonite finish |
| Research Context | Fabrication research carried out at London Metropolitan University |
Dongdaemun Design Plaza K8 Infopoint forms part of the 2014 DDP Kiosk project in Seoul, South Korea. The project was developed for the public spaces surrounding Zaha Hadid Architects’ Dongdaemun Design Plaza, where a series of small street-level structures were commissioned to support public use, orientation, ticketing, information and exhibition activity.
The DDP Kiosk project was initiated by the Seoul Design Foundation, acting on behalf of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Young Joon Kim, supervisor of public space for the plaza, invited a number of international architectural practices to design groups of kiosks ranging from approximately 4 to 9 square metres.
UFO Architecture designed the K4, K6 and K8 kiosks. The kiosks were fabricated from post-tensioned, hot-wire-cut foam as part of research carried out at London Metropolitan University. They were conceived as flexible urban elements that could be closed, relocated and combined into larger arrangements.
The proposal integrates perforated green walls and signage systems based on a parallax effect generated by the relative position of the kiosk elements. The kiosks are finished with Jesmonite, producing a hard, durable and polishable surface with a 30-minute fire rating.
