International architecture firm OMA has won a competition to design the new Hongik University campus in Seoul, South Korea.
Built in the 1950s on the slopes of the Wau mountain, Hongik University is a private institution known for its art and design programs. The new campus will include a cluster of interwoven buildings and public spaces that meld with the existing topography to connect the university with the city.
Conceived as a natural extension of the mountain, the addition is situated below ground level, which maximizes the campus’ built area while incorporating a significant amount of greenery. The buildings are strategically positioned across the site, their roofs acting as paths that connect the university’s main access points to the surrounding Hongdae district.
Between the structures are sloping outdoor courtyards that cascade downwards, encouraging students and staff to gather and interact. The courtyards form a continuous sequence of outdoor spaces, linking the buildings in unexpected ways and allowing natural light to reach into the campus’ interiors.
The structures are organized into three clusters—laboratories, centrally-located amenities, and maker spaces. A new art center occupies the central buildings, while the perimeter houses a multipurpose learning hub.
“The new Hongik campus adds another chapter to OMA’s involvement in cultural projects in Seoul,” says OMA partner Chris van Duijn. “This is a project that shies away from conventional labels: it is a building, a masterplan, and landscape design all at once. It purposely avoids to stand out and invites to be discovered gradually. In doing so, it aims to reestablish the connection the university once had with the neighborhood.”
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