With the purpose of impro­ving the exis­ting public faci­lity of the Swim­ming Pool in Jamsil Hangang Park, the Muni­ci­pa­lity of Seoul laun­ched a compe­ti­tion for a design solu­tion that would bring back the former glory of this 30-years-old faci­lity on the banks of the Hang River.

Not only by reno­vating the Swim­ming Pools them­selves, but also seeking a solu­tion that would reac­ti­vate the entire Park as a public desti­na­tion within the City of Seoul.

The joint proposal draws its inspi­ra­tion from Taegeuk, the tradi­tional Korean symbol which can be found in the National Flag of South Korea, as a very honored, loyal illus­tra­tive and reco­gnizable shape. A perfect circle split in two halves, red & blue, repre­sen­ting the balance in the universe.

The search for this balance between nature & archi­tec­ture, is the core of our design, trans­la­ting the Taegeuk into a circular archi­tec­tural object, a pede­strian walkway that encloses the main pool faci­lity. This circular walkway is inter­rupted at the river­bank, hove­ring over the river, a belve­dere allo­wing amazing views over the Hang River.

The undu­la­ting intert­wined pede­strian paths create oppor­tu­ni­ties and affor­dances for the park’s public program. Program­matic inter­ven­tions for enter­tain­ment and leisure spaces within the natural envi­ron­ment are envi­sioned, offe­ring valuable inter­ac­tions with nature. Spaces for prac­ti­cing a wide range of sports, resting areas, shading struc­tures and natural kids play­scapes, resul­ting in a multi­func­tional park suitable for all kind of ages.

All pools are desi­gned in a sustainable way to natu­rally clean its water by using a helo­phyte filte­ring system with reeds planted around the pools. The treat­ment of clea­ning the water is natu­rally done by bacteria living in the roots of the planted reeds.