Post-Olympic legacy project to deliver new global destination for sport, culture and events in Seoul

A reimaging of the precinct at the heart of the hosting of the 1988 Olympics in the South Korean capital of Seoul is to create a landmark destination for sport, meetings, conferences, exhibitions and events.

The 35-hectare Jamsil Sports MICE Complex is to be re-imagined into a US$1.8 billon new urban master planned venue by the winning Hanwha E&C consortium, selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, with Populous as the architect for the master plan and concept design.

Developed to strengthen South Korea’s place in Asia’s highly competitive sport, conferences and events market, Populous’ master plan and design celebrates the site’s Olympic heritage as well as South Korean culture, creating a place and venues for both the local community and visitors alike.

Managing Director for Populous (Asia Pacific), Paul Henry said Populous’ master plan focused on innovative urban design and planning which respects both the heritage of the 1988 Olympic Stadium and the ongoing local community use.

Henry advised “Jamsil Sports MICE Complex will become a unique landmark tying together state of the art sporting facilities with world leading provisions for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, along with cultural experiences celebrating the legacy of the Olympic history of the site.

“The unifying power and the dynamics of the Olympics will bring together the concepts of sport, education and culture to express a notion of accessibility and connection for all.”

Originally built for the 1988 Summer Olympics, the master planned precinct along the Han River will be reimagined to include:

• Convention and exhibition centre with over 100,000 gross metre² of exhibition halls, plus pre-function spaces, meeting rooms, a concert hall, as well as commercial offerings and ballrooms (total 278,000 gross metre² of MICE facilities)
• 11,000 seat sports complex - a flexible arena for local sport, e-sports, live performances and other events
• 35,000 seat open air baseball park which will be the home for two local teams
• 5-star hotel of over 300 rooms
• 4-star business hotel of 300 rooms within a 178,000 metre² commercial office tower
• 123,000 gross metre² of cultural and commercial retail
• A 3,000-seat indoor underground swimming pool capable of hosting swimming competitions
• 300 room serviced residence and hotel tower 

The precinct will also include ‘The Leaf’, located on a standalone pier adjacent to the precinct.

Announced in January, the leaf-shaped sports and culture complex will contain water gardens, play areas, a flexible event space, as well as an auditorium and a marina for water taxis and leisure craft.

Construction is set to commence in the second half of 2023.

The project is Populous’ most significant post-Olympic legacy work worldwide and will be directed from their Asia Pacific headquarters in Queensland.

Images courtesy of Populous.