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CJ Lim shortlisted to masterplan Korean city park
28 August 2007
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Professor CJ Lim of the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture has reached the final round of a Korean government international competition to masterplan a cultural park 'Central Open Space' in the country's new administrative city.
His design, an 'arable kitchen-garden park' with a strong emphasis on sustainability, is one of the ten entries to reach the last stage out of nearly 100 international submissions to the competition. The final announcement will be in early September.
The 'Central Open Space' at the heart of the multi-functional administrative city (MAC) is nearly seven square kilometres - roughly twice the size of Hyde Park - and will provide civic, recreational, organic agricultural, cultural and tourist facilities, including four new museums.
Professor Lim's concept is based on integrating the existing local practice of rice and vegetable farming on the site, with cutting-edge technologies to ensure the park is environmentally-friendly and a vehicle for social cohesion.
In his vision, the existing farming community would become park keepers, continuing to tend their crops in a traditional manner. Four 'piers' featuring manicured lawns, sound gardens, artists' studios and agritourism-style 'villas' will overlook them, providing tourists and those working in the administrative city with a haven in which to relax and connect with their agricultural heritage. The piers will also act as walkways and cycle-paths to the museums and other leisure facilities, including an artificial beach.
Professor Lim envisages that the farmers' crops, combined with produce from new lotus-fields, a freshwater lake and orchards growing the region's famed pears and peaches, would be sold directly to the local community, reinforcing connections between all sectors of the MAC population. Fuel will be saved in this way by cutting out the need for food transportation, while solar panels, underground heating and perishable leftovers generating methane gas will provide 'green' energy.
MAC-dwellers would be further encouraged to engage with their neighbours in 'virtual gardening', whereby they submit digital images of flora to be projected on decorative digital screens positioned along the piers.
"I want to give the local community a say in the poetics and functioning of their surroundings," said Professor Lim. "A brand new city cannot flourish within an 18th-century typology. My design aims to foster environmental, social and cultural sustainability."
His team of six UCL Bartlett postgraduates worked with Fulcrum Consulting and Techniker UK on sustainability and structural issues respectively.
To find out more about CJ Lim, and about UCL's presence in East and Southeast Asia, use the links at the top of the article.
Image 1: 'Virtual gardening' would allow locals a say in their surroundings
Image 2: Walkways incorporating cutting-edge technologies and cultural centres would be integrated with traditional farming
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Related links Professor CJ Lim has taught and researched at the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture for over fifteen years. His non-conformist aesthetic is true to the revolutionary creativity that makes the UCL Bartlett a breeding-ground for outstanding innovative architects. UCL Bartlett student wins architecture award UCL Bartlett staff dominate competition shortlist Best from the Bartlett, 'Building Design' |
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