Seoul’s City Hall has a unique past. The original Renaissance styled stone building was opened in 1926 to serve as the offices of the Japanese Governor-General of Korea. From 1945 to 2008, it served as the Seoul centre of municipal government - City Hall. After 2008, it underwent extensive interior transformation to become the Metropolitan Library. At the same time, the new City Hall designed by Yoo Kerl of iArc (Seoul) was under construction behind the old city hall. Dubbed “The Wave”, it opened on August 27, 2012 after enduring considerable criticism from Seoul’s citizens. Its design seems to fit well into the milieu of architectural design innovation that is seen throughout Seoul, and the interior multi-level living wall reflects the greening priority of the city’s urban renewal plans.
City Hall and the MetropolItan Library face Seoul Plaza, a large green public open space that was previously a traffic square. This too has a landmark history as it was a site of the 1919 Independence Movement (Samil) against the Japanese colonial powers. (Also See Tapgol Park). It was here that the pro-democracy movement of 1987 assembled, which led to free elections in Korea. In line with the policy of sustainability, an underground tank stores rain water for use by the lawn sprinklers.
City Hall and the MetropolItan Library face Seoul Plaza, a large green public open space that was previously a traffic square. This too has a landmark history as it was a site of the 1919 Independence Movement (Samil) against the Japanese colonial powers. (Also See Tapgol Park). It was here that the pro-democracy movement of 1987 assembled, which led to free elections in Korea. In line with the policy of sustainability, an underground tank stores rain water for use by the lawn sprinklers.