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Public Art Closest to Citizens’ Lives… Busan Metropolitan City Selects Winners of the 2025 Busan Architecture Awards

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Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Heong-joon announced on August 8 that eight projects have been selected as the winners of the 2025 Busan Architecture Awards.

The city held the awards competition from March to June to discover outstanding buildings that best reflect the identity and values of Busan as an attractive maritime city.

A total of 54 buildings were submitted for consideration. The judging panel, comprised of architectural experts from related academic societies and associations, conducted evaluations of the entries.

After a preliminary screening, eight works advanced to the final stage. Following on-site inspections and final evaluations, the panel selected one Grand Prize, one Gold Prize, two Silver Prizes, two Bronze Prizes, and two Honorable Mentions.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Jurye Open Library in Sasang-gu. The Gold Prize went to Ecke, a mixed-use cultural and commercial complex in Haeundae-gu. The Silver Prizes were awarded to Uam Library in Nam-gu and Urban Egg, a lodging facility in Busanjin-gu. The Bronze Prizes went to Busan Concert Hall, the city’s first performance venue dedicated to classical music, and LUFT MILAK, a commercial facility in Suyeong-gu. Honorable Mentions were given to the CSTC Office Building Remodeling Project, a factory facility in Saha-gu, and the Busan Care Building, an integrated care facility in Yeonje-gu, for a total of eight award-winning projects.

Jurye Open Library, which received the Grand Prize, is a public multipurpose cultural space located in Jurye-dong, Sasang-gu. Created based on the long-held aspirations of local residents, it is a community-centered library. Sasang-gu purchased an apartment complex site and transformed it into an open space for residents. Departing from the closed structure of conventional libraries, it offers an open-plan layout where adults and children can stay together. The design connects spaces organically through an open interior and vertically open structure, and provides citizens with a healing space where rest and reading coexist through terraces linked to nature and wide, sloped walking paths. Recognized for realizing the concept of an “open library,” the project presents new possibilities for public architecture.

Woo Shin-gu, the city’s Chief Architect and chair of the judging panel, commented that Jurye Open Library “goes beyond being a place to read books, presenting a new model of public space open to everyone within the everyday life and natural surroundings of the community,” adding that “architects, the administration, and local residents worked together to realize the openness and inclusiveness that public architecture should embody.”

Ecke, which won the Gold Prize, is a mixed-use cultural and commercial space built on a sloped, triangular corner lot along Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae. The name, meaning “corner” in German, reflects its active integration of Busan’s unique topography and urban context. Each floor, from the first basement to the fifth floor, directly connects to the street, allowing natural access from multiple directions. The central courtyard links public stairs that connect the upper and lower neighborhoods, fostering the organic flow of the community. This courtyard serves as an open, shared space where activities and lines of sight intersect, functioning as a small but meaningful new cultural hub in the city. The design, which respects the three-dimensional urban landscape and natural terrain, received high praise.

The award-winning buildings will be marked with commemorative plaques, and the awards will be presented at the opening ceremony of the Busan Architecture Festival at BEXCO on September 17. The works will be exhibited at BEXCO during the festival period and will later be featured in a traveling exhibition across various districts and counties.

Bae Seong-taek, Director General of the Housing & Architecture Bureau, stated, “Architecture is an important element in determining a city’s dignity and is the public art closest to citizens’ lives. As with these award-winning works, architecture that understands the local context and breathes with the residents is the kind of urban architecture Busan should pursue in the future.” He added, “As a city with a unique history, nature, and culture, Busan has a multi-layered charm. We hope that ‘Busan-style architecture’ will further capture the city’s unique stories and identity. The more people-centered spaces we have, the happier citizens will be, and the brighter the city’s future will become.”