Busan is good

The Busan Metropolitan City to Recruit Project Sites for This Year’s “HOPE with HUG Project”

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will publicly recruit project sites for this year’s HOPE with HUG Project (hereinafter referred to as the “HOPE Project”), which is being promoted in collaboration with the Busan International Architecture Festival Organizing Committee (Executive Director Lee Seong-ho, hereinafter “Busan International Architecture Festival”) and the Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG, President Yoo Byeong-tae).

○ The HOPE Project is a public-private partnership space welfare initiative that improves the spatial environment of aging public facilities for the socially vulnerable by receiving donations of architectural design services from local architects and construction funding. Since its launch in 2013, the project has completed improvements for a total of 61 facilities as of last year (2024), bringing meaningful changes to the local community.

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< Overview of the 2025 HOPE with HUG Project >

• ●Project Title: 2025 HOPE with HUG Project
  ※ HOPE stands for House of People’s Empowerment, meaning a house that empowers people.

• ●Project Period: April–November 2025

• ●Target Facilities: 1–2 aging public facilities for the socially vulnerable

• ●Main Content: Full interior and exterior remodeling of outdated buildings

• ●Project Budget: Approx. KRW 150 million in construction costs + donated design services

• ●Organized by: The Busan Metropolitan City / Busan International Architecture Festival Organizing Committee / Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG)

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This year’s project will invest approximately KRW 150 million in construction funding, sponsored by HUG, along with design contributions from local architects, to renovate 1–2 aging public facilities in the city.

Priority will be given to public facilities that can help solve major social issues, such as housing facilities for young people preparing for independence or at-risk youth, as well as study rooms and night schools in underprivileged residential areas.

○ Eligible applicants include outdated public facilities of approximately 200 square meters (㎡) in size, such as:

• ●Housing facilities supporting children who have left institutional care

• ●Study rooms and night schools aimed at reducing educational inequality

• ●Shelters for at-risk youth

○ Previous projects have included local children’s centers, shared kitchens, village laundromats, group homes, and senior centers. Facilities in urgent need of social support will be given priority.

Applications will be accepted until May 30. Following a document review and on-site inspections in June, the final project sites will be selected and work will commence in July.

○ For eligibility and evaluation criteria, visit the official website of the Busan International Architecture Festival (www.biacf.or.kr). Applications must be submitted via email (biacf@naver.com) by May 30.

○ For further inquiries, please contact the Busan International Architecture Festival Secretariat at ☎ 051-744-7729.

Ha Seong-tae, Director General of the Housing and Architecture Bureau of the City, stated,
“Public interest facilities are spaces where community care and solidarity are realized.
Through this project, we hope aging facilities will be transformed into warm and safe spaces,
providing real hope to the socially vulnerable.”

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Appendix 1: HOPE with HUG Project Case Studies

Project No. 52: "Community Hwajjak" Remodeling
→ A local community space providing various educational programs for youth and residents

Before Construction
After Construction

Project No. 45: "Todak Dongnae" at Sageori Cultural Space
→ A children and youth village club (educational community) engaged with the local community

Before Construction
After Construction