Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Dongdaemun Design Plaza
동대문 디자인플라자

View of Dongdaemun Design Plaza
General information
Location Dongdaemun, Seoul, South Korea
Coordinates 37°34′01″N 127°00′34″E / 37.5669°N 127.0094°E / 37.5669; 127.0094
Construction started April 2009
Inaugurated March 21, 2014
Technical details
Floor area 85,000 sq. meters
Design and construction
Architecture firm Zaha Hadid Architects, Samoo Architects & Engineers
Dongdaemun Design Plaza

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, also called the DDP, is a major urban development landmark in Seoul, South Korea designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo, with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the "powerful, curving forms of elongated structures". The landmark is the centerpiece of South Korea's fashion hub and popular tourist destination, Dongdaemun, featuring a walkable park on its roofs, large global exhibition spaces, futuristic retail stores and restored parts of the Seoul fortress.

The DDP has been one of the main reasons for Seoul's designation as World Design Capital in 2010. Construction started in 2009 and it was officially inaugurated on March 21, 2014.[1] It is physically connected to Seoul Subway via Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on Line 2, 4 and 5.

DDP at night from Lotte Department Store

Key features

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by Iraqi British architect Zaha Hadid and Korean studio Samoo, houses a fashion design information center with seminar rooms and a lecture hall.

Design Lab and Kia Soul exhibition in Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park

There are multi-purpose convention hall and a number of exhibition halls. It acts as a test-bed platform for various corporate design products as well as a place for international cultural exchange and cooperation.[2]

The Dongdaemun History & Culture Park replaces Dongdaemun's older baseball and soccer stadiums and their adjoining flea markets and street vendors. A general commercial district with areas for athletics also exists. To replace the former Dongdaemun Stadium, a new baseball stadium is under construction in Gocheok-dong.

The Underground Cultural Plaza allows access to the east and west sides of the Dongdaemun Fashion District which is bisected at ground level by a major road. It connects to the Euljiro Underground Arcade, as well as to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station. The underground plaza is incorporated into the structure of the design park and design plaza. It houses venues for performances and exhibitions.

References

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