SPACE MARCH 2024 (No. 676)
Rendering images of Seoul Twin Eye ©Flying Architecture / Image courtesy of UNStudio
In Dec. 2023, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced the selection of a proposal by a consortium consisting of Seoul Housing & Communities Corp., The Ritz, Heerim Architects & Planners, UNStudio, and Arup for the ‘Seoul Ferris Wheel Private Investment Project’. The consortium proposed a Ferris wheel with a diameter of 180m, featuring two spokeless rings intersecting each other. UNStudio stated that the ‘Twin Wheel’ design was inspired by the honcheonsigye, symbolising Korea’s ambition and progress. The double ring structure’s stability was ensured by Arup, taking into consideration earthquakes and wind resistance. The Seoul Twin Eye (tentative name), to be located in the Pyeonghwa (Peace) Park within the World Cup Park in Sangam-dong, will have 64 capsules, accommodating a total of 1,400 passengers. A 40m-high building beneath the Ferris wheel will house exhibition spaces, a performance hall, commercial spaces, and food and beverage outlets.
The recently unveiled Seoul Twin Eye is the same project as Seoul Ring Zero, which was previously embroiled in controversy over allegations of plagiarising Millennium Gate (2000). SPACE No. 673 (Dec. 2023) pointed out copyright infringement and avoidance of responsibility regarding Seoul Ring Zero, the possibility of public funds being injected into a private investment project according to the competition guidelines, lack of justification for the project, and opacity of the process. Woo Daeseung (principal, Woo-projects Architects), the original designer, filed a lawsuit against SMG for copyright infringement last Nov. By selecting renowned overseas architectural firms as joint project entities and presenting a modified Twin Wheel design, SMG seems to be attempting to escape from ongoing copyright disputes. However, Woo Daeseung clarified in an interview with SPACE that ‘the lawsuit will proceed regardless of this proposal because it concerns copyright infringement by the public sector that has already occurred.’
The scale of the private investment project for the Ferris wheel’s construction has more than doubled over 10 months. The project cost, initially announced at about 400 billion KRW in Mar. 2023, was revised to about 580 billion KRW during the private investment project review in Sep., and then to about 900 billion KRW in the Dec. proposal. This amount is approximately four times the budget for the Seoul Metropolitan Dongdaemun Library, the largest complex library in Korea, and about nine times the cost of the Seoripul Open Storage Museum project, which was conducted through an international design competition. In Mar. SMG announced that public funds could be additionally injected without specifying the exact amount. With the increase in project costs, the amount of public funds to be injected is also expected to increase, making it difficult to justify the private investment project type as a means to avoid wasting taxes. Moreover, private investment projects are intended to encourage private investment in expanding public infrastructures like urban infrastructure, public education facilities, and mixed cultural facilities for the public good. Therefore, it is necessary to scrutinise whether Seoul Twin Eye truly serves as public infrastructure, why there is insistence on investing in profit-generating commercial and cultural facilities, who benefits from such investments, and whether a large-scale commercial facility and Ferris wheel are truly needed instead of a park for Seoul citizens. Is this project aimed not at public welfare but at building personal political achievements or generating economic benefits? For the sake of transparency and qualitative growth in public architecture projects, it is imperative to clarify doubts surrounding this project, including copyright disputes.
