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London-based Foster + Partners, in partnership with three other design firms, announced they have won an international competition to create the master plan for an expansion of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, a mixed-use complex that will encompass the islands of KangHwa and OnJin-gun, near Seoul, South Korea. Conceived as a self-sufficient, sustainable development, the master plan calls for complex to be built over a 10- to 15-year period. It will extend from a central transportation spine, creating a center for "green" industries and serving a population that is expected to grow from 35,000 to 320,000 residents and commuters.
The plan integrates a range of low to high-density mixed-use areas, connected by a light rapid transit system. The area spans three main sites within the free trade zone - the north of KangHwa will be a center of inter-Korean economic cooperation, taking advantage of its strategic location close to Incheon airport and North Korea, while the south of the island will be mixed-use, combining green technology industry with community, cultural and residential buildings.
Plans call for Incheon to become a national center for sustainable industry, manufacturing photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, and developing new products and technology within a new research and development institute in KangHwa. State-of-the-art measures employed within the master plan include biomass energy generation, the use of hydrogen fuel cells and hydroponic roofs. OnJin-gun island will be transformed into a sustainable resort. The master plan also calls for the eventual connection of South to North Korea and the airport via the world's longest bridge.
"Working at a very strategic level, we saw the master plan as an opportunity to explore the sustainable potential of this extraordinary island, exploiting its pivotal position close to Seoul and its rugged landscape," said Grant Brooker, a design director at Foster + Partners. "We are delighted that the judges share our vision and, along with our collaborators at A+U, PHA and MIC, we hope to develop the project into the next stage."
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