SAJIK SACRED ALTAR NATIONAL HERITAGE SITE, Seoul, 2003

 

Scope   Master Plan, Architectural and Landscape Restoration and Re-Design Proposal

Client    Sajik Restoration Citizens' Committee

 

Sajik Altar, an ancient place of offering rituals and prayers for the nation's prosperity, is the most sacred site in Korean cultural history. Cut off and slighted by the Japanese colonial government, encroached by large buildings, and overused as public park, the site is today severely degraded and lost much of its original reverence and sacred spirit. A concerned citizens' committee is now advocating the altar's restoration to its proper place in Korean culture as  well as recognition as UNESCO World Heritage.

 

The proposal comprises an integrated concept for more active use of the altar area, removal or re-design of intruding large buildings, a new formal approach to the sacred site, altar restoration and integration,  and a surrounding public park with a program and active use concept in keeping with the national heritage site.