Aging factory near Seongsu Station to be redeveloped as IT and cultural office hub

An aging factory site in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, will be transformed into a 15-story office building. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it expects the project to help meet growing demand for workspace from the IT, culture and content industries concentrated in the Seongsu area.

The city announced Tuesday that its fifth Joint Urban and Architecture Committee subcommittee conditionally approved a review on whether infrastructure and other requirements are sufficiently met for the site at 277-10 Seongsu-dong 2-ga, within the Seongsu IT Industry and Retail Development Promotion District unit-plan zone, at a meeting held Monday.

The site sits close to Seongsu Station on Seoul Subway Line 2. It currently houses an aging three-story auto-repair factory, and officials have long flagged the need for improvement in land-use efficiency and urban landscape.

Under the approved plan, the site will be converted into a mixed-use office hub. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said its goal is to supply high-quality workspace suited to the industrial ecosystem that has taken root in Seongsu.

Under the architectural plan, office facilities will be concentrated on the upper floors, while neighborhood convenience facilities on the lower floors are intended to activate the streetscape.

Incentives for securing public benefit — including the provision of public open spaces and the introduction of recommended business types — will also apply, enabling a floor-area ratio of about 560%.

The review also examined whether eight categories of urban infrastructure — including roads, traffic and sewage systems — are adequate to sustain city functions. The plan additionally calls for extra public open spaces to address a shortage of rest areas and green space in the district.

The Seongsu area has grown rapidly in recent years as IT, culture and content industries have clustered there. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it expects the development to serve as a proactive response to rising demand for office space in the neighborhood.

"We will get ahead of the growing demand for office facilities in the Seongsu area and create a more comfortable pedestrian environment by expanding public open spaces, rest areas and green space," said Ahn Dae-hee, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Space Bureau. "We will continue to actively support efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of the Seongsu office district and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth."