Abstract
The process of designing Cheonggyecheon Entrance Plaza began with researching four keywords: plaza, restoration. modernity and icon. The outcome of the research was reinterpreted into and informed the design. An urban plaza must not only be a stage for civic life but should also be a portrait of the city to which it belongs. Many Korean plazas, however, are treated as if they are parks. Yeouido Park, which was originally a vast urban void, and Seoul Plaza, recently paved with grass, are good example. The strong 'green myth' can hinder socio-political activities. Cheonggyecheon cannot be said to have been 'restored', since it is still disconnected from its origin and upper streams, and the water is circulated by electricity. So it is better understood as an artificial urban waterfront, rather than an ecologically restored stream. This fact might diminish its ecological value, but not its recreational one. The entrance plaza therefore should reflect that the new stream brings back an 'experience', not only water itself. At the same time, the catch phrase of this restoration project was 'post-modern'. The demolished Cheonggye Expressway represents the 'economy drive' of the 1970s, so the newly opened Cheonggyecheon serves as a perfect counterpart to it. But modernity in Korea is the spirit that made many of the good things, not only its shortcomings, we have now. And from the philosophy of this restoration project, we can see that it is still an ongoing attitude in a way. Remnant of Cheonggye Expressway can evoke our nostalgia for the era. There are plenty of symbols in Seoul, both as architecture and objects. But none of them provide citizens with experience, other than the experience of looking at them. Cheonggyecheon Entrance Plaza is a good place to serve as an icon for a dynamic Seoul. From the research, the designer concluded that this plaza should commemorate the incomparable horizontal experience of Cheonggyecheon and the old expressway, amid the vertical metropolis. The Pedestrian Sculpture, which people can stroll on and look out over Cheonggyecheon, is to be made of steel cladding with a core structure and represents the dynamism of the stream, Seoul and contemporary Korea. The choice of material and the steel structure are also ways of creating the icon. The Water Plaza, the space underneath the ramp, will accommodate people and their urban activities, providing an opportunity to play with water. The Waterblades will be a device for the dramatic beginning of the stream, simultaneously camouflaging ugly openings in the outlets. The Wall of Archaeology is to be made with pre-fab resin blocks, translucent enough so that people can see through any archaeological findings of the site. The strong water-resistant character of resin makes the wall steady throughout the flood season as well. Cheonggyecheon restoration project is an effort to combine contemporary urban demand with the once-existing physicality by evoking our nostalgia for it. The project itself shows many socio-political issues of present-day Korea. The entrance plaza design thus is focused on suggesting an icon for the metropolis, simultaneously celebrating the stream itself. Within this space, people will be exposed to a unique experience that any 'green myth' cannot offer.