Star-studded shortlist revealed for £13.5bn masterplan in South Korean capital

Foster + Partners, Daniel Libeskind and Skidmore Owings and Merrill are among the superstar architects competing to design a £13.5bn masterplan covering 57ha in the centre of Seoul, South Korea.

The three, together with Asymptote Architects and the Jerde Partnership, are being given $1m each to work up designs for the Yongsan business district.

But a notable absentee on the list is Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, which is designing an £853m mixed-use development at Yeouido Island in the same city.

Construction on the 57ha Yongsan site, currently a trainyard, is scheduled to start in 2011, with completion due in 2016. The project is expected to cost 28 trillion South Korean won, or roughly £13.5bn.

The five shortlisted architects have reportedly been given “wide reign” for their proposals, which must include a landmark tower with no height limit, office space, hotels, apartments and entertainment facilities. Detailed designs are due in October.