urban plan proposal for ansan city by BIG, INABA, MAD and mass studies

four architecture offices, BIG, INABA, MAD, and mass studies have proposed

an urban plan for ansan, south korea. the proposal is currently on view

at the gyeonggi museum of modern art (GMoMA) in ansan city until february 15, 2009

urban plan proposal for ansan city by INABA and MAD

urban plan proposal for ansan city by BIG and mass studies

the joint project by the four firms, BIG (copenhagen), INABA (los angeles),

MAD (beijing), an mass studies (seoul) uses versatile architectural forms

that change in size and use. th principals of the four offices, bjarke ingels,

jeffrey inaba, yansong ma, and minsuk cho reinterpret the term ‘economies of scale’

to mean the value of a single architectural form tha functions at several scales.

the works are adaptable enough so that the same form can b enlarged or shrunk

and still function as a building. they have the added capacity to dramatically
change in size and transform in use from building to furniture to toy.
given today’s economic instability, the architects propose an architecture that can

be sized to accommodate changes in available funding. the forms have been developed

so that if a project’s investment capital decreases, it can be scaled down;

alternatively, if greater financing becomes available, the same form can be scaled up.

a project conceived with greater utility in mind so that the form can be enjoyed even

when reduced or increased by 40, 50, or 60 percent.

walk this way by INABA

‘walk this way’ by INABA

‘beautiful minds’ by MAD

a cultural pyramid topped with inspiration pods suspended high above the city

‘beautiful minds’ by MAD

‘urban porosity’ by BIG

‘urban porosity’ by BIG

‘urban porosity’ by BIG

‘mutated slabs and robotic towers’ by mass studies

‘mutated slabs and robotic towers’ by mass studies

‘mutated slabs and robotic towers’ by mass studies

‘mutated slabs and robotic towers’ by mass studies – section -

the plan for riverfront area of ansan, a city of 550,000 inhabitants located near seoul,

includes housing, commercial, retail and municipal spaces. the proposed buildings

which range in height from 80to 400 meters and in length up to 1500 meters are displayed

in the museum lobby in drawings, animations and four large models.

in the context of the exhibition, the architects have taken the idea

of scalabilit further by developing works that function

even when scaled 1,000 and 10,000 percent.
the models are also designed as inhabitable objects in their own right.

each model of their urban plan is a furniture piece of their lobby plan.

th three‐dimensional representations of the buildings function as elements

of GMoMA’s interio serving as a new bookshop, a set of seats and tables,

a lounge area, and a reception kiosk.

general view of the exhibition

‘walk this way’ by INABA is a wayfinding device impersonating a building.

it is an architectural beacon that directs traffic to ansan’s attractions.

‘walk this way’ by INABA + the architects bjarke ingels, jeffrey inaba, yansong ma, and minsuk cho

architects bjarke ingels, jeffrey inaba, yansong ma, and minsuk cho sitting on ‘beautiful minds’ by MAD

‘beautiful minds’ by MAD

‘urban porosity’ by BIG – one side an inhabitable bookshelf,

on the other a new urban landscape for ansan

architects bjarke ingels, jeffrey inaba, yansong ma, and minsuk cho sitting on ‘urban porosity’ by BIG

‘mutated slabs and robotic towers’ by mass studies