Project distinguished with four of South Korea’s most prestigious national architecture awards.
The Re/Turning Gunsan Project, an urban regeneration initiative in South Korea, has officially opened to the public and has established itself as a benchmark in contemporary Korean architecture. In 2025, it was distinguished with several of the country’s most important national awards in the fields of architecture, culture, and design.
During the Japanese colonial period, Gunsan served as a major rice export port, a legacy that remains visible today in a significant number of historic buildings. After Korea’s liberation in 1945, the city was gradually excluded from the main industrial development axes of the following decades, leading to a steady urban decline, further intensified by the migration of younger generations to Seoul and other metropolitan areas.
Many of these buildings have survived not as a result of deliberate preservation policies, but because they were left on the margins of economic development. It is within this context that the Re/Turning Gunsan Project emerged, proposing a sensitive approach to the site’s memory by reactivating existing buildings and transforming them into spaces for collective and cultural use, articulated through courtyards and shared circulation areas.
ADICO took part in the project through the inclusion of the 5008 Chair, an iconic piece from the brand’s portfolio, selected for its combination of comfort, resistance to intensive use, and aesthetic coherence with the surrounding architecture. ADICO’s presence was made possible through a partnership with GREYX, the brand’s representative in South Korea.
Being part of a project such as Re/Turning Gunsan, recognized for its architectural quality and urban impact, is particularly meaningful for ADICO. This project demonstrates how furniture can contribute in a discreet yet essential way to the experience of space
In 2025, the project received the Korea Spatial Culture Award – Presidential Award, the KIA Award, the KIA Best 7 Projects of the Year, and the Korea Design Award, reinforcing its institutional and cultural recognition. Following its opening, it was also featured in the September 2025 issue of SPACE, South Korea’s most prestigious architecture magazine.
