The 16th Seoul Architecture Festival, which kicked off on October 2, is currently being held at the Seoul Urban Architecture Exhibition Center, attracting over 20,000 visitors so far.

This year’s exhibition, running until October 29, adopts a unique “housewarming” theme, drawing in a wide range of visitors, from seniors in their 60s and 70s to families with young children.

Unlike previous years’ panel-style exhibitions, this year’s festival offers an interactive and engaging experience.

The main exhibition, showcasing the Seoul Architecture Award-winning projects, is presented under the direction of curator Kim Ho-min.

Each of the nine award-winning works is displayed as individual rooms, with the central space designed to resemble a courtyard, creating the feeling of being inside a single house.

Programs are conducted in this central space, allowing visitors to participate in lectures and children’s activities while taking in the award-winning works. This design encourages a closer connection between the public and the world of architecture.

As one of Korea’s largest urban architecture events, the festival centers on the Seoul Architecture Awards and includes various engaging programs for citizens.

Popular programs like “Stories from Architects” offer attendees insight into the design process, from concept to completion, and provide an opportunity to learn about the materials and techniques used in the projects.

Many visitors, particularly architecture professionals and students, have enjoyed interacting with the architects, asking questions, and even taking photos with them.

The Award-Winning Tour is another sought-after program, offering guided tours of the award-winning projects and a chance to learn about typically inaccessible architectural spaces and hidden design elements. The tours often end with group photos featuring the architects and participants.

In addition to these, the festival offers other exciting activities, including the Architecture Culture Workshop, where experts discuss lesser-known aspects of architecture, and Architectural Photography Sessions with professional photographers. Children can get creative by making and decorating house-shaped frames in the “My House Frame Making” activity.

With visitors of all ages attending the festival, the city has also introduced docent-led exhibition tours and online-offline interactive events such as “My Table” and “Architectural Exploration for Kids”.

Details about these events can be found on the festival’s Instagram page (@saf.kr).

USAG Yongsan