Eulji-cave Historic Park (2018)
SNU Architectural Design Studio 4-2
Instructor: Hangman Zo
Euljiro is a district where the traces of Seoul’s industrial past collide with the pressures of contemporary redevelopment. Once known as a place that “could make anything,” it evolved into a dense industrial fabric of small lots, ad-hoc buildings, and narrow, cave-like alleys that even official maps fail to capture. Despite major infrastructures such as Cheonggyecheon Stream, underground passages, and the Sewoon Shopping Center, Euljiro remains perceived as a secondary industrial zone with outdated amenities and an inhospitable urban environment. At the same time, its hidden networks, industrial heritage, and layered urban memory hold significant potential for tourism and new forms of public life.
Rather than following the conventional model of demolition-based underground development that erases urban memory, the project proposes the Eulji Cave Amusement Park: a continuous “groundscape” that connects Sae Woon Shopping Center, the Euljiro Underground Shopping Center, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and key blocks in Supyo-dong, Ipjeong-dong, and Sallim-dong. Through research on exposure levels, urban fabric, building age, materials, and height, zones are classified for excavation or preservation, with alleys recommended for retention even in development areas. Sightseeing trains, underground walkways, lighting, and crime-prevention facilities create a safe, 24-hour public network where visitors can experience Euljiro’s preserved areas from above and below, inside and outside the buildings. The project seeks to reactivate Euljiro not by restoring a lost past, but by transforming its cave-like spatial qualities into a new, three-dimensional urban landscape.
Rather than following the conventional model of demolition-based underground development that erases urban memory, the project proposes the Eulji Cave Amusement Park: a continuous “groundscape” that connects Sae Woon Shopping Center, the Euljiro Underground Shopping Center, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and key blocks in Supyo-dong, Ipjeong-dong, and Sallim-dong. Through research on exposure levels, urban fabric, building age, materials, and height, zones are classified for excavation or preservation, with alleys recommended for retention even in development areas. Sightseeing trains, underground walkways, lighting, and crime-prevention facilities create a safe, 24-hour public network where visitors can experience Euljiro’s preserved areas from above and below, inside and outside the buildings. The project seeks to reactivate Euljiro not by restoring a lost past, but by transforming its cave-like spatial qualities into a new, three-dimensional urban landscape.
Unexplored Zone
The Euljiro area juxtaposes traces of its industrial past with the pressures of contemporary urban redevelopment. Once known as a place that “could make anything”—from furniture and building materials to military supplies—it developed as a dense industrial district on the small-lot urban fabric of the Joseon Dynasty. Buildings erected under loose regulations filled narrow gaps, and frequent illegal remodeling, merging, and subdivision created internal paths and hidden passages. These intricate networks, comparable to Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City or a system of natural caves, are barely documented and are navigated mostly through workers’ experience rather than maps. Even official government maps fail to capture this reality, making it difficult for outsiders to move freely without a guide. Despite major infrastructures such as Cheonggyecheon Stream, underground passages, and the Sewoon Shopping Center, Euljiro remains tied to its image as a secondary industrial zone. Outdated public amenities and polluted streets reinforce the perception of an inhospitable environment, offering little reason for the general public to return without a specific purpose.
Tourism
Yet Euljiro, currently awaiting redevelopment, holds significant tourism potential. The “Euljiro Tour” program in Jung-gu attempts to highlight its industrial character and temporal diversity, but simple explanatory programs and signage are not enough to sustain long-term public engagement. A true tourist district must ensure safety and activity around the clock, whereas Euljiro still empties out at night and its layered alleys and industrial heritage remain largely unseen and misunderstood. As much of Seoul’s historic urban fabric has already disappeared, Euljiro’s own fabric cannot simply be restored—but it can be reactivated. The proposed Eulji Cave Amusement Park is envisioned as an opportunity to revitalize the stagnant district, revealing its hidden spatial qualities while simultaneously evoking memories of the past and preparing for the future.
The Euljiro area juxtaposes traces of its industrial past with the pressures of contemporary urban redevelopment. Once known as a place that “could make anything”—from furniture and building materials to military supplies—it developed as a dense industrial district on the small-lot urban fabric of the Joseon Dynasty. Buildings erected under loose regulations filled narrow gaps, and frequent illegal remodeling, merging, and subdivision created internal paths and hidden passages. These intricate networks, comparable to Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City or a system of natural caves, are barely documented and are navigated mostly through workers’ experience rather than maps. Even official government maps fail to capture this reality, making it difficult for outsiders to move freely without a guide. Despite major infrastructures such as Cheonggyecheon Stream, underground passages, and the Sewoon Shopping Center, Euljiro remains tied to its image as a secondary industrial zone. Outdated public amenities and polluted streets reinforce the perception of an inhospitable environment, offering little reason for the general public to return without a specific purpose.
Tourism
Yet Euljiro, currently awaiting redevelopment, holds significant tourism potential. The “Euljiro Tour” program in Jung-gu attempts to highlight its industrial character and temporal diversity, but simple explanatory programs and signage are not enough to sustain long-term public engagement. A true tourist district must ensure safety and activity around the clock, whereas Euljiro still empties out at night and its layered alleys and industrial heritage remain largely unseen and misunderstood. As much of Seoul’s historic urban fabric has already disappeared, Euljiro’s own fabric cannot simply be restored—but it can be reactivated. The proposed Eulji Cave Amusement Park is envisioned as an opportunity to revitalize the stagnant district, revealing its hidden spatial qualities while simultaneously evoking memories of the past and preparing for the future.
Groundscape of Seoul
“The present underground spaces are discrete and disconnected, as individual entities develop spaces according to their own interests and needs, which breaks the flow of the city.” Seoul has recently promoted the development of underground cities in response, yet the immense, isolated underground complexes and policies that simply link them recall the city’s industrial-era ambitions. Sae Woon Shopping Center and the Euljiro Underground Shopping Center were once intended to revitalize commerce and industry by connecting east–west and south–north through massive axes. However, these plain and monotonously connected facilities have rapidly deteriorated and now attract only a few visitors; only Cheonggyecheon Stream continues to draw people beyond Euljiro’s workers. If existing underground development starts from demolition and erases urban memory, this project instead proposes the Euljiro Amusement Park—a new underground network that preserves Euljiro’s memories while linking Sae Woon Shopping Center, the Euljiro Underground Shopping Center, and Cheonggyecheon Stream like a system of caves.
Euljiro Building-scape, Safety, and Excavation Research
The project focuses on three blocks—Supyo-dong, Ipjeong-dong, and Sallim-dong—where Euljiro’s horizontally concentrated buildings create narrow, intricate alleys and an urban condition with cave-like diversity and spatial depth. At night, the dark, confined spaces and the hollowing of the city produce an atmosphere of emptiness and unease, prompting a safety survey to ensure that the Eulji Cave Amusement Park can operate 24 hours a day. To understand what gives Euljiro its sober, cave-like character, the project investigates the spatial properties of the area and identifies zones to be excavated or preserved as part of a new, continuous underground landscape.
Excavation Guideline
Buildings are built and demolished in response to the city’s demands, but alleys often remain after the buildings disappear, carrying the city's memory. To preserve Euljiro’s urban fabric and historic buildings, research findings were re-mapped in the sequence of exposure level → urban fabric → completion date → building material → building height. The darker the map, the higher the excavation value, naturally distinguishing preservation areas from development zones. Even within development areas, Euljiro’s alleys are recommended for retention. Sightseeing trains link the preserved areas, underground walkways, Sae Woon Shopping Center, and Cheonggyecheon Stream, while lighting and crime-prevention facilities along the rail structures enhance safety in Euljiro.
Sector 7 - Public park
To prevent the hollowing out of downtown, a 24-hour public community space is proposed around Sector 7, a key preservation area. A botanical garden, family garden, restaurant, square, and playground are clustered here, encouraging both short- and long-term stays and interaction among diverse visitors. Sector 7 connects to the ground-level development zone, while its underground level links to the underground passage and Cheonggyecheon Stream, allowing visitors to experience the preservation area from above and below, inside and outside the buildings, in three dimensions.