The plaza stands on the place where the sports complex used to exist. In 2005, Seoul City decided to renovate the sports complex into a park, as the complex aging after a near 100 years of its use. They finally chose to build Zaha Hadid?s atypical architecture in its place after a few years. However, the construction took longer than expected due to the excavation of remains that dated back to the Chosun Dynasty.

                    Nonetheless, it was finally completed this spring. It houses more than 3 galleries as well as a designer?s market, park, a historical site, and even a food court filled with famous restaurants. Since its opening, tens of thousands of people has visited the place, and it has become a quite famous tourist attraction. I visited the place with my friend this summer, and what I noticed was a few interesting parts within the DDP.

              Although the complex looks like a maze filled with large metallic buildings and alleyways, I could see that the architect had tried to bring in some nature, or what was close to in inside the plaza, following the current trend of ecological architecture. First of all, all of the rooftops of the buidlings were covered in grass lawns that also served as a park. It was quite a sight to see people strolling on top of galleries.

           The second interesting part was the walls of the buildings. Although it is true that most parts are just metal sheets, some parts of the walls are lined with pots filled with little plants along with ivies climbing up the side. It was interesting to see people taking photos of it, and made me feel as if I was in a distant future.  I hope that you visited DDP if you get a chance to visit Korea.

*If you would like to know more about this plaza that looks closer to a spaceship, visit this website!