Busan is good

Busan Style – Culture Meets Architecture… 2025 Busan International Architecture Festival Opens Today (17th) at BEXCO

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Busan International Architecture Festival Organizing Committee announced that the “2025 Busan International Architecture Festival” (hereinafter the Festival) will be held for five days from September 17 to 21 at BEXCO.

Since its first launch in 2001, the Busan International Architecture Festival marks its 25th anniversary this year. It has established itself as a comprehensive cultural event where citizens and experts from Korea and abroad communicate together. The festival plays a crucial role in showcasing architectural content of an international standard, presenting visions for Busan’s urban future, and discovering and expanding opportunities for local architects.

The opening ceremony will take place today (17th) at 4 p.m. on the special stage in Exhibition Hall 2A of BEXCO. It will be attended by more than 300 participants, including Mayor Park Heong-joon, the Executive Chairperson of the Festival, the Chairperson of the City Council, heads of major institutions, and leaders of Busan’s architectural and construction organizations.

This year’s Festival, under the theme “Busan Style – Culture Meets Architecture,” aims to show how architecture embodies urban culture based on Busan’s openness and unique geography, while also presenting new visions for the future.

The exhibitions will consist of ▲ Special Exhibition by OMA ▲ Busan Cultural Architecture Exhibition ▲ Next Architects 4 ▲ Architecture of Stay: Spaces of Rest ▲ The City of Busan from the Sea.

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Exhibition Programs

• ●Special Exhibition by OMA: This marks the first-ever exhibition in Korea by the world-renowned Dutch architectural group OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture).
  The “OMA Architecture Exhibition” explores intersections of culture and architecture through major domestic and international works, including those in Busan, while the “OMA Urban Exhibition” introduces studies of hillside residential models in Busan and urban transition projects in Asia.

• ●Busan Cultural Architecture Exhibition: Public Spaces, Imagining the Future: This highlights large-scale public cultural projects in Busan as well as the experiments of young architects and students of architecture, presenting the current and future flow of urban architecture in Busan.

• ●Next Architects 4: Four groups of young architects present new possibilities for “Busan Style” through their works.
  ▲ Bang Ki-ae and Eom Tae-gyu, CMM Architects ▲ Noh Young-mi, Lee Yeon-jung, and Shin Hyuk-hyu, PLS Architects ▲ Yoo Dae-woo, Yuga Architects ▲ Cho Ho-je, Lalahoho Architects.

• ●Architecture of Stay: Spaces of Rest: Fourteen architectural firms from the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam region participate, showcasing 22 examples of “stay architecture” that harmonize nature and culture while telling unique stories of each place.

• ●The City of Busan from the Sea: Architectural photographer Jo Myeong-hwan presents panoramic photographs taken from the sea, spanning from Gijang to Songdo, offering a fresh perspective on the cityscape as seen from the ocean.

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Citizen Participation Programs

In addition to the exhibitions, a variety of participatory programs will be offered for citizens. These include lectures by world-renowned architects, thematic lectures and dialogues, children’s architecture classes, and architectural tours. Pre-registration is available through the Festival’s official website, and some programs can also be joined on-site.

• ●Lecture by World-Renowned Architect: On September 17 at 2 p.m., Chris van Duijn (Partner, OMA) will deliver a special lecture on the theme “From Architecture to the City: Focusing on Cultural Projects.”

• ●Thematic Lectures and Dialogues: Throughout the Festival, programs such as “Dialogue with Next Architects 4” and “The Journey of Building Small Hotels” will provide opportunities for citizens and experts to exchange architectural ideas.

• ●Children’s Architecture Classes: From September 18 to 21, a total of eight sessions will be held under the theme “Creating Landmarks Representing Busan,” offering hands-on architectural experiences tailored to children’s perspectives.

• ●Architectural Tour: Scheduled for September 20, the tour will feature award-winning works of the 2025 Busan Architecture Award for Excellence.

This year’s Festival will also be held concurrently with the “Busan Architecture Job Fair,” providing opportunities to discover young talent in Busan and prepare for a sustainable future.

In addition, for the first time, an audio guide service will be introduced to help citizens easily and conveniently understand the exhibitions. By scanning QR codes, visitors can listen to explanations of more than 100 architectural works on their smartphones.

For more detailed information on the Festival, please visit the official website at www.biacf.or.kr or call ☎ 051-744-7728~9.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “Over the past 25 years, the Busan International Architecture Festival has been a representative cultural platform of our region that has contemplated the future of Busan through architecture. The recognition of Busan’s potential on the global stage, including its designation as the World Design Capital 2028, owes much to the efforts and practices accumulated by this Festival.”

He will add, “I hope this Festival creates a space for citizens to deepen their interest in urban architecture, and that it becomes a valuable opportunity to broaden perspectives on the future of Busan.”