Seoul, Switzerland's Basel deepen urban architecture ties through architect exchange

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that Deputy Mayor for Administration Kim Sung-bo met with Basel-Stadt Governor Conradin Cramer in Basel, Switzerland, on Tuesday (local time) to discuss cooperation in urban architecture.

The meeting was a follow-up to an MOU on urban architecture exchange that Seoul and Basel-Stadt signed last year. The two sides shared progress on the "2026 Seoul-Switzerland Architect Exchange Program" and discussed ways to collaborate at the sixth Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism in 2027.

Kim delivered a welcoming address at the "Seoul-Basel Architects Open Forum," where architects from both cities shared their work experiences and reflections with residents and architecture professionals.

The forum is a key event in the "2026 Seoul-Switzerland Architect Exchange Program," which runs Monday through Friday in Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich. Seoul is running the program to promote the city's urban architecture policies and culture abroad and to help Korean architects build an international network through exchanges with overseas counterparts and institutions.

Korean architects participating in the program are visiting local construction sites, architecture firms and related institutions, and taking part in workshops.

The delegation is also visiting the Schaulager and the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen — both reference cases for Seoul's "Visible Storage" project. The visits aim to examine how conservation and research functions have been integrated with public exhibition spaces, and to identify elements applicable to Seoul's own project to raise its quality.

"The city-to-city dialogue that began through the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism is now translating into real exchanges among architects," Kim said. "Building on this meeting, we will work to ensure Seoul and Basel continue sharing experiences and carry their cooperation forward at the 2027 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism."

Meanwhile, through its "Urban Architecture Exchange Activation Plan," Seoul is pursuing broader domestic and international cooperation in urban architecture, expanding participation in overseas architecture biennales and actively advancing international exchange projects in the field.