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In 2017, after 87 years of providing electricity to Seoul, the Danginlee Power Plant on the banks of the Han River will shutter. In a bid to modernize and urbanize this piece of waterfront property, the thermal power plant will be rebuilt underground and the space it once occupied will become a revitalized venue for parks and the arts.
The old plant will be repurposed as a dynamic cultural and office complex, giving artists and citizens alike a platform to spread and experiment with their creative ideas. The new station — said to be the first urban underground power plant in the world — will produce electricity from both coal and liquefied natural gas. In addition to heating over 100,000 homes, it will also double as an educational space, while a large public park perched above returns this waterfront land to public use.
The conversion of industrial facilities to cultural hubs is becoming a more widespread phenomenon as residential and commercial buildings change the composition of urban areas, pushing industrial uses to the suburbs. The oil-fired Bankside Power Station in London ceased operations in 1981 and reopened as the Tate Modern art gallery in 2000. This unique repurposing has created one of the largest and most popular modern art museums in the world. The vision for the Danginlee Power Plant was heavily influenced by the cherished British venue.
Several cranes occupy the site as work on the underground facility progresses. The plant was initially expected to go through a major expansion, but when those plans were met with fierce local opposition, the idea of relocating the facility underground was pitched.
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