Dongnae-gu's 'Lotti Forest' Wins This Year's Busan Architecture Award... "Reinterpreting the Tradition of Dongnae Byeoljang"

[Financial News] Busan Metropolitan City Government announced on the 10th that it had finally selected the winners of the Busan Architecture Award, which integrates architecture awards that had previously been operated separately in the region.
A total of 51 entries were submitted to the Busan Architecture Award competition, which ran from April through July.
This year, for the first time, the winners were selected by integrating the city's 'Busan-style Architecture Award' and the Busan Chapter of the Korean Institute of Architects' 'Busan Architecture Award.'
Following the judging, no Grand Prize was awarded, while one Gold Prize, two Silver Prizes, one Architect of the Year Award, and one Emerging Architect Award were selected.
 

'Lotti Forest' in Dongnae-gu was selected for the Gold Prize, while 'Layered Monolith' in Jung-gu and 'Mangmi Cultural Share Center' in Suyeong-gu were selected for the Silver Prize.
Lotti Forest is a neighborhood facility located in Oncheonjang, Dongnae-gu. It proposed a space where existing and new buildings coexist by modernly reinterpreting the traditional architectural form and spatial characteristics of the adjacent Dongnae Byeoljang.
The project sought to save energy by developing the depth and shading effect of traditional eaves into a modern building-envelope system. It also created a mutually beneficial relationship with Dongnae Byeoljang, rather than severing ties with it, by allowing the existing villa to be viewed from inside. The building also ranked first, with 27.63 percent, in a citizen survey conducted on the city's website last month.
Layered Monolith, which received the Silver Prize, was highly praised for creating a public space for ordinary citizens amid a crowded city. Mangmi Cultural Share Center also received high marks for maintaining attention to detail throughout the entire process, from design to completion, despite the constraints of extensively renovating and expanding an existing building.
Of the seven works that passed the preliminary screening, the four works that did not receive a main prize were selected as honorable mentions.
The Architect of the Year Award and the Emerging Architect Award, given to architects who have brought distinction to Busan, went to architects Kang Dae-hwa and Lee Ki-chul.
Commemorative plaques will be attached to the winning buildings, and the awards are scheduled to be presented at the closing ceremony of the '2026 Korea Architecture Festival,' to be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) on the 31st of next month.
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter