Heritage Value through Regeneration Strategy in Mapo Cultural Oil Depot, Seoul

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 10; no. 9; p. 3340
• Main Authors: Han, Jiae, Kim, Soomi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 18.09.2018
• Subjects: Architectural engineering; Architecture; Cities; Competition; Concrete; Construction; Cultural heritage; Design; Designers; Industrial plants; Landscaping; Plate tectonics; Preservation; Rehabilitation; Society; Sustainability; Tectonics; Tournaments & championships; Urban planning; Urban regeneration
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su10093340

Regeneration projects are a crucial tool in helping cities improve their heritage value. This includes the rehabilitation of industrial facilities, a practical solution to increasing urban sustainability. Seoul’s Mapo Cultural Depot, launched in 2017 after and international competition in 2014, is a representative model of such industrial heritages. This winning design focused on rehabilitating the site throughout both the design and construction periods, valuing preservation over new construction even at the initial stages of the competition. In this study, we examine the Mapo Cultural Depot in terms of its balance with the natural surroundings, architectural tectonics, and emotional remnants. We argue that its physical appearance, landscaping, and tectonic relation, composed of a specific spectrum of time accumulation, help people experience a sense of collective memory. In this way, a sense of time and place are embedded in materiality and important to consider when moving toward urban sustainability. Our findings have implications for a new perspective on concrete regeneration strategies.