The disign of the Cheonggyecheon

Photographs by Bo-Kyung in 2005

The Cheonggyecheon has got many symbolistic places, for instance, 8 stones around the upstream that was made of 8 stones from 8 different provinces in Korea and symbolise the harmony.

There is the section as the wall with a big amount of tiles which many people drew their hope, dreams and so on. It shows various ideas and opinions so the place makes me think about the harmony and the diversity of Korean. The Cheonggyecheon is not only the reconstructive place but also one of the important image of Korean.

The landscape of the Cheonggyecheon

Photograph by Bo-Kyung in 2005 Photograph by Bo-Kyung in 2005

I think the most important idea to design a public place is make people to do various activities and can participate in creation to the atmosphere through diverse methodes.

When I visited there after renovation in end of 2005, I could not believe the area is that I uaed to know as the Cheonggyecheon I have been there with my professors and classmates as a study trip. There is totally different compare with the landscape in the past so I could not realised the area at first time when I went out of the underground station near there. I saw the big fountain on the upstream area and it is the remarkable structure to recognize the Cheonggyecheon. I like the design and the purpose of the fountain because it shows identity as a gateway on the centre of the big city. The fountain has got a balance with stream because of water and a vertical contrast as well. Moreover, it makes people be fresh, especially, in the summer.

The wall next of the pavement has got various theme so there are many temporary exhibitions and artistic objects by companies, associations and the citizen. It means the citizen can make the atmosphere of the Cheonggyecheon to the marvellous public space by themselves.

Recently, there are many events that are such temporary exhibitions, fashion shows and various public perfomances. So whenever people want to enjoy and have fun with their family and friends, they have the nice place and it is also easy to approach there.

The Cheonggyecheon was designed with consideration about the relationship among the exsistent buildings(Office, Shops, restaurants, cafes and etc), Historic Heritages, the transport system and what visitors and local people want to do there.

For that works, the Cheonggyecheon was made to the nice public place where people can do many activities and has been developing to be better nowadays as well.

I will look forward to visiting there when I go to Korea as my holiday next year and want to see how it works and developes compare with what I saw when I visited before. I am so excited to do that.

"One of biggest renovation projects in Korea"

This project is the most amazing event in 2005.
When the mayor published this project, not only the citizens of Seoul(the capital city of Korea) but also many people who live in Korea did not believe it can be done and many people said that it was the crazy plan they have ever heard.
Eventually, It has renovated successfully and It is the important landmark in Korea now.

The Cheonggyecheon used to be a naturally formed stream before the Joseon Dynasty designated Seoul as its capital. But after modernization of Korea, it used to be under the motorway to solve traffic problems in the big city.
It has decided by the mayor to make the area as a stream for a public space.
The city council made a design competition as soon as the agendum was published and then the Cheonggyecheon was renovated after demolition of the motorway that used to be on the stream as followed the design of the winner.
- The summary of the project by me



Overview of the Project


*Period : July 2003 ~ September 2005





*Scope : A 5.84km section extending from Taepyeongno to Sindapcheolgyo(Railroad Bridge)





*Objectives : Mid-term objectives to get completed by 2008 / Long-term objectives to get completed by 2013





*Budget : 349,423 million won / Actual amount spent by September 2005: 386,739 million won due to design changes, prices fluctuations, and additional work.





*Others : The best possible efforts have been made not to affect the activity of the stores located near the project site by carrying out the work and dividing the 6km site into three sections. On each side of the stream, two lanes were left open, and some protective screens installed. Sufficient spaces were left for loading and offloading the trucks and for the convenience of the stores located along the stream. Some tremendous efforts were made to have the vehicles used for the job run only at night not to affect the traffic. The traffic was controlled with a special care for public transportation. The entire downtown area was designated as an area where private cars should be avoided as much as possible. Vehicles passing by the area were encouraged to use detours. Main water supply resources: underground waters from nearby subway stations, the Hangang, and water from Jungnang Sewage Treatment Station Establishment of the basic development concept based on the Basic Urban Development Plan and the Basic Downtown Management Plan. -http://english.seoul.go.kr/cheonggye/

Kathryn Gustafson(Landscape Architect)

Kathryn Gustafson was born in the state of Washington, USA and was educated at the University of Washington in Seattle, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and the Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage in Versailles(France) where she received her diploma in 1979.

Kathryn Gustafson established her landscape architecture practice in Paris in 1980 working as a sole practitioner and in collaboration with architects, artists and engineers.

Gustafson Porter is an International Landscape Design practice based in London.
Gustafson Porter Ltd was founded by Kathryn Gustafson and Neil Porter in 1997, with Mary Bowman joining the partnership in 2002.
In 2000 Kathryn Gustafson, with partners Jennifer Guthrie, and Shannon Nichol, established the practice Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd in Seattle, with current projects predominantly located within the US and Asia

Gustafson Porter operates across the diverse disciplines of landscape, architecture, engineering and design. Gustafson Porter is inspired by the complexity of the human condition and the desire for stability as well as change in the modern world. The approach is simultaneously rational and emotional, disciplined but loose, structured yet ever changing.
Gustafson Porter has projects in the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Gustafson Porter is currently working on landscapes for the cities of Singapore, Jeddah, Beirut and Liverpool.

http://www.kathryngustafson.com/

[London] http://www.gustafson-porter.com/

[Seattle] http://www.ggnltd.com/

Landscape Architecture

Landscape architecture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Landscape architecture is the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of human-made constructs. The scope of the profession includes architectural design, site planning, housing estate development, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, urban design, parks and recreation planning, regional planning, and historic preservation. A practitioner in the field of landscape architecture is called a landscape architect.