Presidential architecture body to diversify design competition formats, expand private-sector expert roles

The government is moving to reform the way public building design competitions are run, shifting away from a one-size-fits-all open-competition model toward formats tailored to each project's characteristics, while significantly expanding the role of private-sector experts.

The National Architecture Policy Committee, a presidential advisory body, said it will hold a forum in Seoul on Tuesday on improving the design competition and private-sector expert systems, bringing together officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local governments, and specialists in architecture, urban planning and landscape design.

The forum was organized to address longstanding criticism that the current reliance on open competitions — regardless of a project's nature — has led to wasteful rivalry and an excessive burden on participants.

The first presenter, Jeon Young-hun, a committee member and professor at Chung-Ang University, will propose introducing a range of competition formats suited to a project's scale, character and selection objectives. The session will also take up the need to correct the common practice of demanding detailed design proposals in proposal-based competitions — contrary to their original intent — and to strengthen the rigor of architectural planning and the transparency of evaluation.

Kang In-ho, head of the public architecture division of the committee's advisory panel and an emeritus professor at Hannam University, will then present proposals for reforming the private-sector expert system. Under consideration is the creation of a new "project-dedicated public architect" role — separate from existing general and public architect positions — to provide consistent advisory and coordination support throughout the entire lifecycle of individual public building projects. Guidelines to broaden private-sector experts' scope of activity in connection with regional urban and spatial policy will also be proposed.

Following the presentations, a panel discussion focused on practical implementation will be held, chaired by Committee Chair Kim Jin-ae, with participation from Lee Jin-cheol, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's director general for architecture policy, as well as executives from the Korea Institute of Registered Architects, the Korean Institute of Architects, the New Architects Association and the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture. The forum will be livestreamed on the committee's official YouTube channel.

"Rather than applying a uniform competition format to every public architecture project, we need to be able to choose an approach that fits the project's characteristics," Committee Chair Kim Jin-ae said. "We will also expand the role of private-sector experts beyond advising on individual projects to participating as professionals in regional urban and spatial policy."

The committee's eighth term launched in December last year. Established under the Framework Act on Architecture, the presidential committee comprises 30 members in total — 19 from the private sector, including the chair, and 11 ex-officio members.