Zaha Hadid's Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, South Korea Research Paper

Zaha Hadid's Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, South Korea - Research Paper Example Modeled as a modern cultural hub, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) revolves around old and ancient city walls which facilitate a new type of interaction between the new and the old while creating a civic space in the process for the city. The cultural multipurpose complex in Seoul South Korea was opened officially in March 2014. Samsung C&T built it whereas Zaha Hadid Architects designed it for its client, the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is the biggest irregular three dimensional and irregular shaped building in the world.1 Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) ‘s metonymic landscape design emerged as the international competition winner under the design category back in August 2007 and the project has come to fruition. Construction work was completed in November 2013 having commenced in April 2009. The 931,874 sq ft (86, 574 sq m) multicultural complex is composed of educational facilities, a museum ,library and a sky lounge. Moreover, it has a retail space of 322,917sq ft (30,000 sq m) and a 322, 917sq ft (30, 000 sq m) park.2 The building’s theme revolves around a traditional Korean garden design style that interweaves the culture of South Korea into the complex’s fibre. â€Å"Within the urban environment of Dongdaemun is a new park. It will act as a refugee haven for the people of Dongdaemun in addition to it being a place for relaxation,† implied ZHA. The South Korea government hopes that the new flashy complex and its nearby public park will attract a lot of its citizens much like South Korea’s first or initial sports stadium which was originally located on the DPP site. The construction and completion of the project established a cultural and design hub in the country’s capital. The project hit several snags during its construction phase since it commenced in 2007. It was initially planned by the former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-Hoon, and it faced indefinite