Course Syllabus

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING, AND PRESERVATION

SPRING 2026 NAHYUN HWANG STUDIO 

Course Number: ARCH4106‑12 

Course Summary

The advanced architectural design studio engages Sewoon Sangga, a 1 km-long Modernist megastructure in the historic district of central Seoul. Built as part of the post-Korean War nation-building campaign in the 1960s, retracing a site of a fire break cleared by the Japanese colonial government, Sewoon Sangga and the surrounding areas are among the most contested demolition and redevelopment sites in the city's history. The studio explores alternatives to the demolition plan, investigating the possibilities of adaptive reuse and historic preservation. The research and design projects will explore programmatic and architectural strategies that address embedded carbon and sustainability, material reuse and health, and social and community continuity and well-being for the urban center.