In 2025, Thomas Heatherwick was General Director of the 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, the biggest public architecture festival in Asia. 

Over the course of 54 days (from 26 September to 18 November), the Biennale explored how buildings and cities can be made radically more human. This free cultural event embraced mass citizen participation, attracting more than 811,000 visitors. It moved beyond the echo chamber of our industry and created a major public conversation about how citizens themselves feel about the buildings which surround them.  

The centrepiece of the whole Biennale was the Humanise Wall in Songhyeon Green Plaza. This four-storey-high, 90m-long structure was made of 1,428 steel tiles filled with images and ideas from citizens, scientists and designers. It showcased 400 buildings from across the world to demonstrate what engaging, joyful architecture can look like. At its centre the Wall twisted dramatically like a ribbon, forming a canopied gateway drawing people into the park.  

Nearby stood the Walls of Public Life. These were a series of 24 different building façades, made from a wild array of materials, textures and patterns. At 2.4m wide by 4.8m high, they had the appearance of giant fragments of larger buildings. Every wall was commissioned from a separate design team, some Korean and some international, ranging from a chef and a jeweller to architects, engineers and a car designer. Each one explored the emotional power of the outsides of buildings.  

The theme of ‘radically more human’ was then explored in four exhibitions staged in and around the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture. One featured the Biennale’s Creative Communities programme: nine grassroots projects which collaborated with over 1,000 Seoulites. ‘Emotionally yours, Seoul’ wove images of building façades uploaded by people around the world into a collaborative digital artwork. ‘The City’s Face’ examined the skins of 25 buildings, while ‘From a Bird’s Eye to the Human Eye’ showed a series of live projects across Seoul which will shape how passers-by experience the city from the street.  

The Biennale opened with a two-day global forum at City Hall, called ‘Emotional City’. This event gathered more than 400 activists, academics and architects to delve into the impact of building design on civic life, mixing debate and research with dance, music and poetry.  

As well as stamping architecture firmly on the country’s public health agenda, this Biennale testified to the extraordinary creative confidence of Korea and the power of public conversation. It broke away from narrow technical discussion. This was for the public, by the public, in the public domain.  
 

 

In 2025, Thomas Heatherwick was General Director of the 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, the biggest public architecture festival in Asia. 

Over the course of 54 days (from 26 September to 18 November), the Biennale explored how buildings and cities can be made radically more human. This free cultural event embraced mass citizen participation, attracting more than 811,000 visitors. It moved beyond the echo chamber of our industry and created a major public conversation about how citizens themselves feel about the buildings which surround them.  

The centrepiece of the whole Biennale was the Humanise Wall in Songhyeon Green Plaza. This four-storey-high, 90m-long structure was made of 1,428 steel tiles filled with images and ideas from citizens, scientists and designers. It showcased 400 buildings from across the world to demonstrate what engaging, joyful architecture can look like. At its centre the Wall twisted dramatically like a ribbon, forming a canopied gateway drawing people into the park.  

Nearby stood the Walls of Public Life. These were a series of 24 different building façades, made from a wild array of materials, textures and patterns. At 2.4m wide by 4.8m high, they had the appearance of giant fragments of larger buildings. Every wall was commissioned from a separate design team, some Korean and some international, ranging from a chef and a jeweller to architects, engineers and a car designer. Each one explored the emotional power of the outsides of buildings.  

The theme of ‘radically more human’ was then explored in four exhibitions staged in and around the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture. One featured the Biennale’s Creative Communities programme: nine grassroots projects which collaborated with over 1,000 Seoulites. ‘Emotionally yours, Seoul’ wove images of building façades uploaded by people around the world into a collaborative digital artwork. ‘The City’s Face’ examined the skins of 25 buildings, while ‘From a Bird’s Eye to the Human Eye’ showed a series of live projects across Seoul which will shape how passers-by experience the city from the street.  

The Biennale opened with a two-day global forum at City Hall, called ‘Emotional City’. This event gathered more than 400 activists, academics and architects to delve into the impact of building design on civic life, mixing debate and research with dance, music and poetry.  

As well as stamping architecture firmly on the country’s public health agenda, this Biennale testified to the extraordinary creative confidence of Korea and the power of public conversation. It broke away from narrow technical discussion. This was for the public, by the public, in the public domain.  

Host Organisation

Seoul Metropolitan Government
Future Space Planning Bureau

LOCATION

Seoul, South Korea 

APPOINTMENT

2024

STATUS

Completed (September 2025) 

SIZE

A city-wide public programme of installations, exhibitions and events across Seoul, centred around Songhyeon Green Plaza

GENERAL DIRECTOR

Thomas Heatherwick 

GROUP LEADER

Neil Hubbard

PROGRAMME PRODUCERS

Matt Bell 

Christine Yan 

PROJECT LEADER

Ricardo Sosa Mejia 

PROJECT MANAGER

Consuelo Manna 

TECHNICAL DESIGN LEAD

Nick Ling  

Uwe Frohmader 

PROJECT TEAM

Abigail Scott Paul, Adrienne Lau, Alex Han, Alice Dousova, Almudena Rodriguez Hortiguela, Ashley Tso, Azizul Hoque, Blue Tuohy, Calvin Osei, Chen Yue, Chi Chung, Cong Wang, Daniella Duku, Erich Breuer, Francis Mccloskey Lopez, Freddie Lomas, Gina Hwang, Hannah Francis, Hannah Parker, Harriet Gargrave, Joanna Sabak, Kelvin Lam, Kim Megson, Leo Cheung, Lily Burge-Thomas, Lisa Finlay, Liu Tang, Luke Plumbley, Marcus Hawk, Matthew Magee, Mei Xue, Nabiha Naciri, Nabil Allaoui, Nicholas Ling, Nicolas Ombres, Olga Rienda Sevilla, Persephone Quarme, Peter Romvari, Peter Williams, Ragavendran Gowrisankar, Raquel Diniz, Sherry Xiao, Shuning Ji, Stefano Grisoglio, Stepan Martinovsky, Stuart Wood, Susan Tranter, Susannah Cole, Victoria Dong  

COLLABORATORS

Constructions Partners:

CNP DONGYANG 

The Allim 

AKTⅡ 

SEAM 

 

Graphic Design:

Morse Studio 

Uncommon Creative Studio 

 

Research Partners:

Allen Institute  

Cambridge University 

Humanise Campaign  

Seoul National University  

Yonsei University 

 

Creative Communities Programme Creators:

Daemin Kang, Gregory Serweta, Namhi Kwun, Sunbin KIM, Hansol KIM, Jung Yun Roh, Maya West, Seunghan Paek, Melody Song, Jin Young Song, Jongwon SUH, Joon Won SUH, Haeyoung Seo, Sebastian Trujillo-Torres, Yeonkyung Ahn, Moon Joo Lee, Yewon Lee, Jimin Lee, Jee Won LEE, Hyeokyoung Lee, Hwanil Chang, Hayoung CHO, geo.Logic Lab, Sein Jin, Keojin Jin, Jiyong Jeon, Eunseok Hur, Soe Won Hwang, Bryan Honting Wong, Kaz T  Yoneda, Kruti Shah & more

 

Exhibitions & Events Collaborators: 

Keehyun Ahn, Hyun Seok, Kang & Gunho, Kim, Ja young Eunice KIM, Suk Kyu Hong, Wanghee Lee, Sudal Park, Jiyoon Lee, Homin Kim, Jaeho Chong, Hyunju Lim, Corinne Mynatt  

 

Walls of Public Life – Designers:  

ACOLAB 

Anupama Kundoo 

ARUP 

Bapossan Alempoua and Asseta Idogo 

Bureau de Change 

Edward Lee 

Hankuk Carbon 

Hawkins Brown 

Hyundai Motor Group 

Kengo Kuma & Associates 

Korea Furniture Museum 

Kéré Architecture 

MAD / Ma Yansong 

More Less  Architects 

NAMELESS 

Ozwald Boateng OBE 

Ronald Rael 

SOSU Architects 

Stella McCartney 

Stephen Webster 

sP+a, Anomalia 

Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu 

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA 

YOAP Architects

 

Documentary:

Studio DEEPROAD (Film) 

Yongjoon Choi (Photo) 

 

Other Collaborators:

Peter + Paul, AJU Corporation, Guerrilla Builders, INTO Earth, MYCL, MUD.N, Stephen Gormley, Richard Woods, DURASTACK ENCORE, studiosungshin, TTX D&C, SEOKWON E&C, JOOSUNG DESIGNLAB, Universe construction, PoSTMEDIA 

 

Sponsors:

Dongkuk Holdings 

Hyundai Motor Group 

DAEWOO E&C 

Hyundai E&C 

LG Electronics 

Hwayo 

Korea Furniture Museum 

K-Secret  

GS Energy 

Hankuk Carbon