Casanova+Hernandez architects | U035_Requalification of Tongyeong Dockyard

     

U035_Requalification of Tongyeong Dockyard

Tongyeong, South Korea

The Shina sb dockyard was founded in 1946 and served as a major source of economic growth in Tongyeong. However, due to stagnation in the shipbuilding industry, the company began to experience a slowdown in business after 2010, and eventually closed its doors in 2015.

As a result, approximately 5,000 workers lost their jobs, leading to 70% of residential units in the surrounding areas becoming vacant, which has led to a dramatic decrease of local population, leaving the local economy to continue experiencing a rapid decline.

In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, in 2017, designated Shina sb dockyard and the surrounding area as a beneficiary of the Urban Regeneration New Deal (economy-based). The project operator, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, purchased the Shina sb dockyard site in 2018, and will carry out the project as a joint development program with the city of Tongyeong.

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The purpose of the Shina sb dockyard Urban Regeneration Project is to establish a future-oriented waterside town for settlement and to build a cultural and tourist hub on the site of the closed dockyard, thereby establishing a global hub of tourism through industrial reorganization.

Tongyeong living dockyard is a holistic concept that aims to bring new life to the dockyard and its unused structures. It follows a linear process based on the analysis of the site (1), deduction of potentials (2), definition of objectives (3), planning a strategy (4) and definition of interventions (5).

Analysis

The historical, urban and social analysis of the site and its surrounding areas leads to two conclusions:

1. The location of the site combined with its rich history has the potential to attract three main target groups: tourists, the citizens of Tongyeong and the neighbours around the site, which is related to three scales: regional scale (large), city scale (medium) and neighbourhood scale (small).

2. It is important not only to create specific cultural and recreational programs to attract these groups, but also to promote the coexistence of the different groups in a balanced neighbourhood. In order to achieve that, a global strategy is required to redefine the identity and use of each landmark in relation to different target groups, coordinating it with a network of thematic walking routes each of them with their own specific theme, program, and storytelling.

Strategy: three thematic paths

The strategy of regeneration of the site aims to provide recreational and cultural programs in the different parts of the site attractive for varied target groups, reusing existing structures and creating new landmarks, all of them characterized by a specific identity and storytelling.

The strategy recreates the three historical and cultural landscapes of the site: the natural landscape, the fishery landscape and the industrial landscape through three thematic paths: the Forest Path, the Fishermen Path and the Dockyard Path. Each path is understood as a storyteller and narrates one specific story related to the history of the site through an interactive experience.

The three thematic paths are strategically located in three areas of the site connected to its history: the Dockyard Path is located along the docks and the crane area, the Fishermen Path along the waterfront and the Forest Path along the green finger that connects the site to the Mireuksan mountain.

The paths are connected among them in some points to form a continuous thematic pedestrian route throughout the whole site that narrates not only the history and culture of the site but also the one of Teongyong. Overlapping the different layers of history works as a rich cultural attraction for tourists but also reinforces the sense of place among locals.

The Nature Path is a recreational area attractive especially for new neighbours. It could have sports areas, outdoor gym and children playgrounds, which make it attractive for all the groups that live in the area such as families with children, young people and elderly. The Dockyard Path equipped with a cultural program is more attractive for tourists and the Fishermen Path equipped with a cultural and recreational program will attract citizens of Tongyeong and tourists.

The strategy links places and history with new functions and storytelling. The coordination of the programs of the thematic paths provides the spatial articulation of the site with a series of varied and balanced recreational, cultural and touristic activities.

Identity

The new identity provided to the area, which is based on the renovation of the existing structures, the addition of new elements and programs, and their coordination in different Thematic Paths, needs to be complemented with the design of a specific visual identity that will be used in the street signage.

The visual identity of the area is based on a series of pictograms created from the silhouettes of the preserved industrial structures of the dockyard such as the Goliath Viewing Crane, the Paint Shop and the Ensemble Shop. This series is completed with other pictograms created based on the new landmarks proposed for the site, such as the Tonyeong Maritime Museum, the floating structures located at the Fishermen Path and the Landmark Gardens placed along the Forest Path. All these landmarks, the existing and the new ones, have already an iconic character, which makes them easily recognizable when they are converted into pictograms.

The pictograms of the landmarks are used as a basis for the graphic design of the street signs that indicate visitors the direction of the landmarks and the thematic paths.

A series of info boards combines pictograms of the landmarks with images and explanatory texts. They are placed near the landmarks and the renovated industrial structures to provide visitors with functional and historical information about them. The info boards are important elements in charge of transmitting the storytelling of the Thematic Paths, which helps visitors to get a multi-layered understanding of the site and its history.

The graphic design and the visual identity of the dockyard can be used in other complementary information tools such as tourist maps and websites, creating altogether an important and uniform layer that reinforces the recreational and cultural identity of the dockyard.

Target groups

The revitalization strategy of the dockyard is focused on attracting three target groups: tourists, citizens of Tongyeong and neighbours related to three scales: regional scale, city scale, and neighbourhood scale.

1. Tourists – regional scale.

The branding of the area for tourists is based on industrial urban icons such as the Goliath Viewing Crane, and combines innovative tourist attractions with existing industrial structures. The image of this urban icons is capable of communicating without words universal messages such as discovery, entertainment, and culture. But the branding of the area targeting tourists could also be focused on other aspects such as the culinary culture represented by the image of the floating restaurants and farms or by the new Teongyong Fishery Museum.

2. Citizens of Tongyeong – city scale.

The branding of the area for attracting the citizens of Tongyeong can be based on its cultural activities and restaurants. For that purpose, the Tongyeong Arts Centre and the Tongyeong Design & Crafts Centre combine attractive programs and activities with the industrial image related to the history of the dockyard.

3. Neighbours – neighbourhood scale.

The recreative facilities of the Forest Path, the restaurants of the Fishermen Path and the cultural facilities of the Dockyard Path will brand the area for the new residents and neighbours as an attractive quarter for living and working, plenty of recreational facilities, culture and green areas.

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Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH)
Restoration and Regeneration of Industrial Areas, Public Space, Open-air museum (cultural network), Facilities for recreation
Competition. Third prize
38.5 Ha