24 Designers to Create a ‘Wall of Public Life’ for Seoul’s 5th Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism

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• 24 Designers to Create a ‘Wall of Public Life’ for Seoul’s 5th Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism

27 August 2025

An exhibition of building façade fragments aims to spark a public conversation about how to make the exterior of buildings more joyful and engaging.

The installations will challenge architectural conventions, demonstrating how building exteriors can become more joyful, engaging and emotionally resonant.

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24 designers, including Stella McCartney, Edward Lee, Arup, Hawkins/Brown, MAD Architects and Yinka Shonibare, have been commissioned to create a fragment of a building, 2.4 by 4.8m, that challenges the status quo of building exteriors as bland and soulless. The concept is called the “Wall of Public Life”.

Each wall hopes to evoke an emotional response. Korean architects Nameless will create a wall made of broken brick and stone, whilst British jeweller Stephen Webster will present a wall encrusted with thorns and jewels.

Architect Francis Kéré plans to use Korean pine to create a communal structure, and one wall will be made live on site by a group of village artisans from Burkina Faso.

Picture: a CGI showing Francis Kéré's wall concept, using Korean pine to create a carved out seating area. Image Credit: Kéré Architecture 

The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, now in its fifth edition, was originally launched to address urban and architecture-related challenges resulting from rapid urban growth in Seoul in South Korea, of the world’s most densely populated cities. It is known as a testbed for exploring modern solutions for urban issues such as the destruction of the natural environment die to urban development and the emotional and psychological impact of the built environment.  This year’s Seoul Biennale will be held from Friday 26 September to Tuesday 18 November

The 5th edition will be curated by Thomas Heatherwick, General Director of the 2025 Biennale and known for the 2012 Olympic Cauldron and Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross. Thomas has long rejected the “blandemic” of uniform, boring and predictable architecture. His Humanise campaign confronts the public health issues caused by boring buildings. His 2023 book, also called Humanise, refers to studies such as those from Bower, Tucker & Enticott, which demonstrate that buildings without texture, warmth, or variety can leave people feeling disconnected.

The “Wall of Public Life” exhibition will be situated in Songhyeon Green Plaza, a public park in the centre of Seoul, alongside a 90m long, four-storey high “Humanise Wall”.

Picture: a CGI that shows the Songhyeon Green Plaza with the "Humanise Wall" and “Wall of Public Life” exhibition. Image Credit: Heatherwick Studio

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 27 August 2025

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