Samsong Greens

The Samsong Greens Urban District Plan establishes a comprehensive development strategy for a growing and dynamic Korean media company called Samsong Bromex. Samsong Greens is conceived of as a 21st century integrated urban district that will include media production facilities, corporate offi ces, retail, cultural, sports and recreational spaces and high technology digital media research and development (known as 'urban factories'). Located in Goyang, a growing city that is part of metropolitan Seoul, Korea, the site is located within easy walking distance of an existing transit station. The city currently has a number of employment centers but little advantage is taken of the Changreung River, the town center and the transit connection to the heart of Seoul. The site (actually 4 currently disconnected sites) are seen as an opportunity for a high density development that would transform the city's relationship to the river and trigger new investment at the center of the city. The overall vision for the site is to create a distinct identity for Samsong Bromex by integrating the various programmatic elements with natural systems and sustainability strategies at the site and building level to create a vibrant mixed use live/work community. The urban design framework consists of a street and block structure that provides a fine-grained network of connectivity between the district components and the adjacent context. A series of linear parks that run in the N-S direction give each parcel within the development a unique location and an address along these green spines. This is re-enforced by the tree planting strategy that is designed to give each street a unique character. All these together constitute the larger idea of ‘Samsong Greens’ as being a framework with a series of designed public spaces that provide various spaces for recreation and retreat as well as playing a vital role in the water management and sustainability strategies for the development. The ‘heart’, within an urban design framework, takes the form of two major public spaces—the central ‘Media Park’ and the smaller ‘Fountain Plaza’ that is more urban in character. These spaces are supplemented by sports and recreation facilities in the form of the Multi-Playground and Stadium/recreation building(media) that encourage communal activities between the different entities within the development. The built form is envisaged as a ‘living green carpet’. This carpet consists of two primary typologies – low rise buildings with internal courtyards and green roofs and a series of towers. Interspersed in this system are a series of distinct buildings such as the stadium/recreation building (media) and retail pavilions that also house media and digital related interactive recreational and educational programs. The media park is more naturalistic in character and takes advantage of the level difference between the river and the site level to create a series of three dimensional landscape features that can accommodate a multitude of programs and activities throughout the different seasons making it a vibrant and versatile space. Sustainable Strategies Sustainable strategies are advanced throughout the Samsong Greens district. As a mixed use district there is little need for use of cars. The 4 sites are easily accessible within a 10 minute walk­—including the transit station. An integrated path system connects all the district areas as well as the surrounding community. The site engages with the city’s Changreung River restoration plan as well the proposed linear park system to the south. A critical aspect of the district plan is the storm water management strategy. This element is designed to harness water resources and improve the water quality released into the river. The project incorporates a water mitigation strategy known as a Site Integrated Monsoon Management System (SIMMS). During the non-monsoon season building rooftop tanks store and distribute rainwater and recycled grey water for non potable uses. In the monsoon season, SIMMS drains the rainwater tanks and the site ponds in advance of a pending storm, creating storage capacity for the monsoon’s surplus rainwater. The site ponds receive the excess monsoon run-off and the collection tanks store rainwater for reuse after the rain subsides. After the storm, SIMMS releases the stored water slowly to the river restoring capacity in advance of the next monsoon event. Streets are designed to incorporate bio-swales as part of the larger water management strategy. Landscape and Public Realm Concept The Landscape Concept for the project reflects the indigenous values, cultural memories and the local geographic context of Goyang. It creates a vibrant and contemporary Multi Media District within the site setting of the Mountains and the River. It is where nature and city meet and where people enjoy a sense of inner peace from becoming one with nature but also find a highly active, community based park system that offers exciting contrasts between urban city life and natural scenic environments. The site concept sees the future development as a series of open spaces which relate to the adjacent park systems of the River Park and the Neighborhood Park creating a strong green network between them. Each of the spaces is seen as an exciting pedestrian environment not only connected to the adjacent buildings offering places for lunch and sports events but also serving as a public realm offering recreational, contemplative uses next to a vibrant digital media environment. The rectangular shaped, architectural expression of the Media District and the meandering river landscape weave into each other, connecting, engaging and contrasting one another. Two major open spaces within the Media District extend the public park system along the Riverfront, creating exciting experiences which are strongly related to the natural system of the Changreung River and the National Mountain Parks. Three paths, each embodying a different character, create clear linkages between the Media District Parcels and the park systems of the Neighborhood Park, the River Park and the Media Park as well as adjacent neighborhoods, the subway station and the National Mountain Parks.