Press Kit CROSSROADS Building the Resilient City Presentation of the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 and launch of an International Call for Proposals 05.29.2020 - 07.31.2020 SBAU 2021 INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS | MAY 2020 PRESS KIT SUMMARY 3 FOREWORD 4 CROSSROADS, BUILDING THE RESILIENT CITY 5 FIVE INTERSECTING FIGURES 6 VISION FOR THE SEOUL BIENNALE OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM 2021 7 THE THEMATIC AND CITIES EXHIBITION 8 THE INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS 9 SCHEDULE 10 SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE 11 DOMINIQUE PERRAULT GENERAL DIRECTOR 2 SBAU 2021 INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS | MAY 2020 PRESS KIT Dominique Perrault Park Won-Soon General Director of the SBAU2021 Mayor of Seoul, Republic of Korea FOREWORD Dominique Perrault, General Director of the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 On February 13th, 2020 the official launch of the third More than a hundred cities will be invited to Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (SBAU participate. “CROSSROADS Building the Resilient 2021) took place with the signature of an agreement City” will build on the accomplishments of the SBAU’s between Mr. Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, and previous editions, notably by featuring recurrent cities French architect Dominique Perrault, chosen as the as well as new ones, thus increasing the number of General Director of this major event, scheduled to be guest cities to a hundred, from 85 in 2019 and 50 in held from September to November 2021. 2017. The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism was Through a series of exhibitions and events, the SBAU established in 2017 as an event that focuses on cities and 2021 will open up opportunities for exploring the city of gathers their representatives to discuss the challenges the future.It will affirm the place of cities as privileged linked to the urban condition and share their potential spaces to open up the perspectives of a more solutions. With 10 million inhabitants, Seoul is one of sustainable world and will explore the central role that the most representative examples of contemporary architecture and urban planning can contribute to this metropolises and, as such, a particularly relevant context to frame this Biennale. “THE SEOUL BIENNALE OF ARCHITECTURE AND Appointed as the SBAU 2021 General Director, Dominique Perrault has a strong relationship with Seoul, URBANISM OCCUPIES A UNIQUE PLACE IN THE thanks notably to the construction of the Ewha Woman’s LANDSCAPE OF INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS. University in 2008 and more recently with the ongoing Gangnam International Transit Center, an underground IT IS ENGAGED WITH THE THEME OF URBANISM, infrastructure fully lit with natural light through an unprecedented glass structure dubbed the Lightbeam. CONSIDERING THE CITY OF TOMORROW AS A The SBAU 2021 is intended to highlight Seoul’s architectural effervescence and its desire to become an COLLECTIVE PURSUIT. THIS IS WHY TODAY IT SEEMS international showcase for the world’s cities. Following the first two editions entitled “Imminent Commons” RELEVANT TO ME TO PLACE THE THIRD EDITION UNDER (2017) and “Collective City” (2019), the third edition entitled “CROSSROADS Building the Resilient City” THE SIGN OF RESILIENCE.” will explore the evolution of the world’s cities and Dominique Perrault, metropolises. General Director Dominique Perrault Architect/Alexandre Tabaste/Adagp of the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 ⓒ 3 SBAU 2021 INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS | MAY 2020 PRESS KIT CROSSROADS Building the Resilient City The SBAU 2021 Theme The SBAU 2021, entitled “CROSSROADS Building feature works focusing on cities – understood as the the Resilient City”, will attempt to respond to the superposition and interactions of inhabitants, buildings, complexity of the relationships that shape our cities infrastructures, flows and regulations – to examine, nowadays and to the pivotal moment that humanity research and exhibit how they can be serve as positive is facing by drafting, thanks to its contributions a assets toward a sustainable planet. manifesto in favor of a more sustainable city. Echoing the dynamics of urban planning, the SBAU 2021 The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 will gather participants representing a broad range (SBAU 2021) will be the first global architectural event of expertise: architects and urbanists, representatives entirely produced on the aftermath of a pandemic from cities and metropolises, but also experts in that has altered and questioned the foundations of our science, engineering, humanities, artists, academics and modern, technological civilization. students. “CROSSROADS Building the Resilient City” illustrates its This will be the Biennale to open paths towards the purpose to become a place of convergence. The SBAU city of the future, through five possible ways. 2021 intends to gather different forms of intelligence to reflect on the city of the future as a more sustainable, resilient and comfortable place for its inhabitants. The wind rose has been chosen as the symbol for the event because it appropriately reflects the intention to understand the present moment and to anticipate future developments. “CROSSROADS Building the Resilient City” will 4 SBAU 2021 INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS | MAY 2020 PRESS KIT FIVE INTERSECTING FIGURES The Biennale wind rose This Biennale will be structured in the form of five C2 : HERITAGE / MODERN crossroads figures, which will converge in their Will discuss our relationship to the temporality of intention to promote a more responsible urban the built environment in the quest for sustainable growth. development. It will question the notions of unlimited These five thematic figures are the starting point construction or destruction and will explore the for the main exhibition of the SBAU 2021 and the possibility of optimizing what already exists. international call for projects that will identify its contributions:: C3 : CRAFT / DIGITAL Will consider the potential of the city as an instrument - Crossroad 1 (C1) on urbanism: Above / Below of remote production, accessible from anywhere - Crossroad 2 (C2) on architecture: Heritage / Modern by everyone, in contrast to traditional spaces and - Crossroad 3 (C3) on design: Craft / Digital production methods. - Crossroad 4 (C4) on landscape: Natural / Artificial - Crossroad 5 (C5) on the city: Safe / Risk C4 : NATURAL / ARTIFICIAL Will examine how nature is at the core of the act of The five tandems represent the starting point for the building and will highlight practices that give increasing main exhibition of the SBAU 2021, that will place them in prominence to building in harmony with nature. relation, or in tension, to nourish our vision of the city: C5 : SAFE / RISK C1 : ABOVE / BELOW Will question the ability of architecture and urbanism to Will foster methods of urban planning that increase adapt, transform and deal with the unexpected risks of the thickness of the superficial layers of the city. By the contemporary world. exploring the potential interconnections between the city’s surface and underground, it will seek to increase its density while limiting urban sprawl. 5 SBAU 2021 INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS | MAY 2020 PRESS KIT A VISION for the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 Traditionally, the Seoul Biennale is formed by five Studios will consist of temporary installations, sections, each with its own separate exhibition. selected through a separate Call for Proposals addressed to universities from all over the world. This third edition will radically transform the organization of the SBAU to address as large an audience as possible, • The Live Projects section is the on-site programs across all sectors of activity and ages. To achieve this, consisting of research, built environment, exhibitions the SBAU 2021 will merge for the first time the Cities and and public programs with the citizen of Seoul. It will Thematic exhibitions in a single main event located at be organized in the Sewoon Plaza and different venues the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. across Seoul. • The Thematic exhibition examines in detail the overall • The Seoul Exhibition presents urban and architecture theme and takes places in the Dongdaemun Design policy and innovative projects conducted in Seoul. Plaza (DDP), designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It takes place in the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture. • The Cities exhibition gathers contributions from the perspective of the cities they represent. In previous Finally, a new information kiosk, the Biennale Pavilion editions, it took place in the Donuimun Museum Village, will be installed next to the City Hall and located inside but will be held this year in the DDP. of an artist’s installation. Its purpose will be to guide visi- tors to the SBAU’s exhibitions and other activities. • The Global Studios is devoted exclusively to university In its structured network of exhibitions and events, research and showcases Seoul City. It was previously “CROSSROADS Building the Resilient City” will assert the held in the Multipurpose Hall, Sewoon Plaza, a Brutalist participant cities’ desire to strive for a more sustainable building designed by architect Kim, Swoon-geun and development and the central role that architecture and compleated in 1966. Instead of presenting theoretical urban planning can play in this objective. projects, the student works featured at the Global Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) ⓒKyungsub Shin Studio. 6 SBAU 2021 INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS | MAY 2020 PRESS