Bundang's Saetbyeol Village launches architect selection for 5,050-unit integrated reconstruction

The integrated reconstruction project for Saetbyeol Village in Bundang, set to be reborn as a complex of about 5,000 units, has begun the process of selecting a lead architect. With Hana Asset Trust designated as the project operator on June 26, the project has now moved to selecting key contractors — making it the fastest-moving among the first-generation new town pilot districts in Bundang.

According to industry sources, Hana Asset Trust issued a bid notice Wednesday for the architect selection for the Saetbyeol Village integrated reconstruction project. A site briefing is scheduled for Monday, and the bid deadline is 3 p.m. on Aug. 13. Bid documents will be opened at 4 p.m. the same day, with a general assembly of landowners and property holders expected around Sept. 12 to make the final selection.

The Saetbyeol Village integrated reconstruction project consolidates the Life, Dongseong, Ubang and Sambu apartment complexes and Hyundai Villa in Bundang-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province into a single special improvement zone. The plan calls for developing a 231,037-square-meter zone into a complex of 5,050 residential units across buildings ranging from two below-ground floors to 49 above-ground floors, along with ancillary welfare facilities.

The Saetbyeol Village project is the most administratively advanced among Bundang's pilot districts. After being designated a pilot district in November 2024, it completed the designation and public notice of the special improvement zone on Jan. 19 this year. On April 30, the zone boundary was revised to include Hyundai Villa.

The selected architect will be responsible for drawing up the project implementation plan and overseeing the full permitting process. The scope of work includes preparing documents for integrated review and project implementation plan approval, as well as conceptual, basic and detailed design and infrastructure design. It also covers architectural planning for revisions to the special improvement plan, along with simulations for views, sunlight, noise and other factors. The architect must also produce design alternatives reflecting the principle of independent settlement by each existing complex and in-place reconstruction.

The bid will be conducted through open competitive tendering with a qualification review. Project execution capability accounts for 70 points and price for 30 points, with 40 of the execution-capability points allocated to track records in improvement projects, large-scale projects of 5,000 units or more, and project implementation plan approvals and occupancy approvals. If four or more firms submit bids, at least four of the highest-scoring qualified bidders will be put forward to the general assembly of landowners and property holders.

Among architecture firms, Nau Dongin Architects is understood to have moved quickly to declare its candidacy. Nau Dongin has served as an architectural planning consultant for the project since Saetbyeol Village was designated a pilot district in November 2024, advising through the special improvement zone designation and improvement plan formulation. It is also currently handling architectural planning work for the upcoming revision to the special improvement plan.

A Nau Dongin official said the firm plans to compete with a focus on delivering a design that balances fairness and project viability, citing its No. 1 track record in improvement project design and its familiarity with the circumstances of all five complexes that make up the integrated reconstruction.