The changing urban landscape of Seoul intertwines modern skyscrapers with centuries-old palaces, showcasing a dynamic blend of tradition and innovation. From bustling markets to serene parks, Seoul evolves as a vibrant metropolis where history and contemporary life harmoniously coexist.
The changing urban landscape of Seoul
While Seoul is really a collection of multiple world cities, Hong Kong claims to be Asia’s world city. Over the last two days, this one conurbation of around 10 million people has seemed like a park in Singapore, a Tokyo sidestreet, a trendy Taipei block, New York’s Fifth Avenue and Brooklyn, a London town, and a German suburb, in addition to the more typical geographic references.
The changing urban landscape of Seoul Architectural development can be attributed to a combination of creative energy and shifting societal circumstances. Maybe the finest view is up close. We visited five locations in one rather crazy north-to-south journey with the assistance of communications specialist Fiona Bae, who is located in both Seoul and Hong Kong. Her insights of The changing urban landscape of Seoul architecture, both modern and old, are noteworthy.
1. A traditional house in Bukchon
Let’s start with Seoul’s architecture’s more subdued aspects. Teo Yang, an interior designer, resides in Bukchon, an artistic and hilly neighborhood in Seoul that is my personal favorite. He is hosting pilgrims from an interiors magazine in his 1920s home today. Like Teo, Teo’s home is steeped in hanok (traditional Korean dwelling) customs. But he
also has a treasure trove of his own as a world traveler who studied design in Pasadena and Chicago. His first pair of designer sneakers in a glass bell jar, an assortment of art manuscripts, and a showhome kitchen—where an upscale lighting manufacturer is currently showcasing its products—are all taking center stage.
Teo’s philosophy is incredibly modern for Seoul: it is one of entrepreneurship, heritage, and having the self-assurance to take what you want from the West and leave the rest.
2. A lounge at Ryse Hotel
In trendy Hongdae, the hotel Ryse is the hippest. We explore an area that appears transient and clubby after having a bracing Swindler Sour (sweet potato spirit, grappa, yuzu, sea salt tincture, orange blossom water). Eventually, we come across the Print Culture Lounge, a nook filled with specialized magazines and artwork.
In Asia, it seems that people become more bookish the further east you travel. Bookstores in Taipei, Tokyo, and Seoul are more than just Instagram-worthy backdrops; they are actual gathering spots.
The Ryse backroom office is located directly in the public area rather than in a backroom at all. The room has glass panels and is decorated with angle poise lamps and moodboards. It became popular a few years ago to display the kitchen in restaurants. It feels just suitable in Seoul that hotel designers and marketers are also in the public eye.
3. A bank HQ that looks like an octopus
Harvard graduate Kim Chan-joong is a visiting professor at Seoul University and has one of South Korea’s most intriguing architectural practices, The System Lab. His experiments with wafer-thin concrete membranes include this, possibly the most bizarre bank building in the world, and the elegant, ethereal Kosmos hotel on the volcanic island of Ulleungdo.
The building’s moniker, KEB Hana Bank Place 1, was inevitable given the exterior’s abundance of jutting, color-changing portholes that resemble tentacle suckers. For people who are trypophobic, or who are afraid of little holes in groups, this is not the best place.
It still looks nothing like any financial institution you have ever seen inside. A graffiti artist has adorned the underground parking structure, which also serves as a club and event venue. There are amazing cafes and libraries, as well as bespoke businesses.
This structure alters things. Rumor has it that the conservative corporations in the nation are now all vying for their own “octopus.”
4. A very big bookcase
COEX is not the place to go if, like me, you suffer from “shopping legs,” a condition where spending too much time in stores causes the lower limbs to lose their natural range of motion. You get the unpleasant feeling that you might be doomed to spend the rest of your life ensnared in a labyrinth of fluorescent lights, storefront displays, and brand promotions because of the underground location and 1,776,000 square feet of retailers.
Just as I was starting to feel like I would never see daylight again due to the first jelly-like symptoms of shopping legs, there materialized—a library. Not just any library, but the Starfield Library, a ridiculously ornate shrine to the printed word located in a building that is mostly focused on retail sales.
Picture a light-filled train station where miniature ocean ships have taken over as the size and shape of the bookshelves. If you can access them, you can read the 50,000 volumes that are available here. People do. No one goes there to take pictures; instead, it’s a location where lost shopping and serious students mix together.
I exited into the sunlight and descended into my preferred subterranean metro system. In less than an hour, I was on that gorgeous sunset bus. That gave you a tour of Seoul’s architecture, which includes the largest underground mall in the world
and an urban town tucked away in the mountains. Seoul has given us the Gangnam look and the sculpted cheekbones of K-pop stars, but if you ever feel like it’s all surface and gloss, find a quiet spot to read a book. There are several locations where you may do that.
Proudly powered by Club TravelScape
