© Atchain
Curated by Archirev Editorial | Feature Story | Published Nov 26, 2025
Source: UNStudio
PROJECT TYPOLOGY: MIXED-USE
Project name: SeoulOne
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Architect: UNStudio
Building Surface Area: CB Plot – 118,049.94 m² above ground / 74,297.24 m² below ground / 192,347.18 m² total, MXD plot – 389,649.23 m² above ground / 202,960.36 m² below ground / 592,609.59 m² total
Client: Hyundai Development Company (HDC)
Timeline: 2019 – Present
Status: Under Construction (as of 2025)
Program: Masterplan, Mixed-used Commercial, Residential, Community
Sustainability Strategies: 30% green coverage, Year-round landscape design, Smart logistics & car-free ground plane, Locally sourced materials, Korean ceramic influence, Green & blue networks integrated, Biodiversity enhancement
Visualization: © Engram / Atchain / Bluesquare
UNStudio’s SeoulOne masterplan represents one of the most ambitious mixed-use urban transformations currently underway in South Korea. Commissioned by Hyundai Development Company (HDC), the 405,000 m² development turns a former industrial railway yard in northeast Seoul into a dense, multigenerational neighbourhood built around a simple but radical idea: everything residents need—living, working, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure- should be reachable within a 10-minute walk.
View of SeoulOne’s multigenerational neighbourhood with its car-free landscape and mixed-use clusters. © Bluesquare.
Positioned at the foot of the region’s mountainous northern landscape, SeoulOne translates this natural context into a fluid masterplan structured around green continuity, curved topography, and year-round outdoor spaces. The result is a fully pedestrianized, community-focused “mini-city” designed to redefine urban life for all ages.
Master Plan Concept. © UNStudio.
A New 10-Minute City for Seoul
One of the most significant aspects of the masterplan is the adaptive reuse of the existing FIX structures. These industrial buildings will become a cultural hub housing:
• Art galleries
• Museums
• Hospitality venues
• Public-facing cultural spaces
The intention is to establish the site as a new cultural heartland for Thessaloniki, activating the waterfront edge and enhancing the city’s cultural offerings.
The architecture aims to inspire curiosity, movement, and imagination, making the museum not only a place for art but also a gateway for creativity, accessible to residents, visitors, and the broader community.
SeoulOne organizes a dense, mixed-use program within a pedestrian-first framework. © Bluesquare.
The Grand Circle of Life: A Six-Layer Framework
The conceptual backbone of SeoulOne is its “Grand Circle of Life,” a six-layer structure that aligns program, community, mobility, culture, and nature into a coherent whole.
- From Cradle to Grave: SeoulOne is built for every stage of life. From vibrant children’s spaces to senior centres and top-notch healthcare facilities, it supports a broader range of residents than any other development in Korea.
- Connected City: Imagine a 10-minute city where everything you need is just a short walk away. Built on a car-free, elevated platform, SeoulOne is fully pedestrianized, safe, and seamless. Smart logistics work quietly below, while an outer ring road provides access to underground parking. Outward-facing retail links the development to surrounding neighbourhoods, and a future metro station ensures quick access to the heart of Gangnam.
- Clockwise Living: Life at SeoulOne never stops. Homes for every age group sit alongside shops, cafés, restaurants, daycare centres, healthcare facilities, libraries, sports facilities, offices, and a hotel. Residents can live, work, play, shop, and learn all around the clock without leaving the neighbourhood.
- Retail for All: From flagship stores and a large-scale shopping mall to boutique shops, convenience stores, and street pavilions, SeoulOne offers a retail experience for everyone, both residents and visitors alike.
- The Four Seasons of SeoulOne: This is a green village designed for year-round enjoyment. Connected plazas, pocket parks, forest walks, water gardens, rooftop terraces, and lush courtyards surround every corner, bringing nature into daily life in every season.
- Transformation and Rebirth: SeoulOne turns an unused railway into a vibrant, sustainable, and healthy urban neighbourhood. It’s a bold new vision for Seoul, a city ready for the future.
The Grand Circle of Life. © Atchain
The Cube: Landmark and Social Anchor
At the heart of the development stands The Cube: a multifunctional hybrid building that anchors the district both visually and socially. Its west wing brings together a diverse mix of programs: a retail mall at the base, office floors organized around a central collaborative atrium, and an upper-level hotel featuring terraced rooftop gardens and a secluded “secret garden.” The Cube Nest: an ensemble of retail, fitness, and entertainment spaces, connects to the main volume via a dramatic sky bridge
The Cube. © Engram.
The Cube and the Cube Nest are connected via a sky bridge. © Bluesquare.
Inside the office levels, a sweeping interior ramp links all floors, weaving through a green atrium that forms the social core of the workplace. Above, bespoke stepped skylights draw daylight deep into the building, enhancing the sense of openness and connection.
The Cube and the Cube Nest Program. © UNStudio.
Multigenerational Housing and Community Frameworks
Eight residential towers form the neighbourhood’s largest section, each designed to support a range of lifestyles and family structures. To promote community interaction and avoid social isolation, every two towers share an elevated podium level—the “M-community levels”, which host spaces for:
- Communal gatherings
- Shared amenities
- Children’s play
- Fitness and wellness
- Informal interaction among neighbours
These podiums reinforce the social backbone of the masterplan, ensuring that residents remain connected to one another as well as to surrounding public spaces.
Shared podium terraces between residential towers encourage community interaction. © Atchain
Sustainability Through Design, Materiality, and Ecology
SeoulOne’s sustainability strategy is both environmental and social:
Environmental Strategies
- Integration of blue-green networks
- Energy-efficient smart systems
- Biodiversity-enhancing flora across 30% of the site
- Locally sourced materials inspired by Korean ceramics
- Car-free pedestrian level with smart logistics below
Social Sustainability
- Inclusive housing typologies
- Multigenerational services
- Community podiums
- 24/7 activation through mixed uses
- Safe, accessible, fully walkable public realm
Together, these measures position SeoulOne as a model for future Korean urban developments—prioritizing resilience, community, and year-round liveability.
Sustainability objectives. © UNStudio.
SeoulOne is more than a redevelopment project; it is a redefinition of urban life in South Korea. By integrating multigenerational living, walkability, culture, landscape, and sustainability within one coherent masterplan, UNStudio creates a neighbourhood that reflects both contemporary urban priorities and the deeper rhythms of Korean spatial traditions.
Designed for all ages and operating 24 hours a day, SeoulOne showcases how a brownfield site can be transformed into a vibrant, connected, and future-ready environment, setting a new benchmark for the city, the region, and the future of mixed-use communities.
© Atchain
Project Credits
UNStudio Team: Ben van Berkel, Gerard Loozekoot, Crystal Tang, Atira Ariffin, Erwin Horstmanshof, Tommy Kim, Jennifer Nam, and others
Local architect: KUNWON Architects, Planners, Engineers
MEP: ARUP
Structural: Chang Minwoo Structural Consultants
Landscape: Townscape
Retail: CUBE
Façade: The Summit Façade