473 Groundbreaking Ceremony for SongEun Art Space

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, 24 October 2018 – The groundbreaking ceremony for SongEun ArtSpace, the first ever project of Herzog & de Meuron in South Korea, took place on Wednesday, Oct 24.

Located in one of the busiest commercial areas in the city of Seoul, the building will be dedicated to promoting contemporary art. Its full name is “SAMTAM, Exhibition and Office Building and SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation”.

The groundbreaking ceremony was carried out following Korean tradition and included a “Gosa” blessing, where a pig’s head is displayed on a kind of shrine, and money is put into its mouth as a gesture for all the workers involved in the construction. Amongst other guests, the ceremony was also attended by His Excellency Linus von Castelmur, the Swiss Ambassador in Seoul.

The event was followed by a press conference, where Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron presented the project to more than 40 members of the local media.