Heatherwick Studio’s Humanise Wall in Seoul: Twisting Architecture into a Public Dialogue

The architecture world turns its attention to Seoul as Heatherwick Studio unveils the Humanise Wall, a striking 90-metre-long twisted steel installation serving as the centrepiece for the upcoming Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. Rising four storeys high in Songhyeon Green Plaza, this monumental structure is designed not just as a visual spectacle, but as a catalyst for public reflection on the emotional and psychological impacts of urban design. By blending large-scale graphic panels, artworks, and examples of architecture from around the world, the wall encourages visitors to explore how buildings influence human perception and behaviour. The project exemplifies how contemporary architectural interventions can spark conversations around city life, spatial quality, and the role of design in daily experience, making it an important reference for architects and urban planners alike.

Project Overview

The Humanise Wall is a twisted, steel-framed installation spanning 90 metres and four storeys. Its primary purpose is to serve as an interactive focal point for the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, launching on 26 September. The wall’s design merges structural innovation with conceptual storytelling, employing two contrasting steel finishes: a chunky red steel frame twisting over a central opening and a secondary black steel layer enveloping parts of the structure. Visitors will experience a visual narrative that blends text, images, and artworks while walking along the plaza.

Dimensions and Materials

Design Concept and Layout

The twisting geometry of the wall functions as a visual anchor while inviting visitors to reconsider the urban landscape around them. The central opening creates a frame for the surrounding cityscape, while the wall’s curvature generates shifting perspectives that change with the viewer’s position. Supplementing the main structure, 24 smaller wall sections are being constructed by selected creatives, including internationally renowned firms such as Kengo Kuma and Associates, MAD, and Kéré Architecture, alongside fashion designer Stella McCartney. This combination of large-scale installation and multiple smaller interventions allows the biennale to explore a spectrum of interpretations on human-scale architecture.

Interaction and Experience

The wall’s graphics include text, images, and building examples that embody the Humanise campaign. Highlighted buildings, such as Bureau de Change’s The Interlock and The Broad museum by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, showcase ideals of human-centred design. As visitors move along the plaza, the interplay of steel forms and visual narratives engages multiple senses, encouraging reflection on how the built environment shapes emotional and cognitive responses. By transforming a public park into an interactive gallery, the wall bridges architecture, urbanism, and public engagement in a singular experience.

Contributors and Collaborators

Architectural Analysis

The design logic of the Humanise Wall revolves around creating a dialogue between humans and the urban fabric. Its twisting form challenges conventional perceptions of scale, while the red and black steel layers provide visual contrast that emphasizes depth and movement. The four-storey height and 90-metre length generate a commanding presence, yet the central opening ensures the structure remains permeable and connected to its environment. By juxtaposing large-scale steel with graphic panels, the installation merges architectural form and storytelling, highlighting how materiality, geometry, and spatial composition can shape perception and emotional engagement in urban contexts.

Project Importance

The Humanise Wall demonstrates how large-scale architectural interventions can foster public reflection and engagement. It provides a platform for architects, urban designers, and creatives to explore questions of human-scale design, visual narrative, and the emotional impact of buildings. By creating a structure that encourages dialogue and sensory experience, the project contributes to contemporary thinking on urbanism and placemaking, illustrating the relevance of architecture as a social and cultural medium. Its timing is particularly significant, reflecting a global interest in human-centred design and the role of public installations in shaping collective perception of cities.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Humanise Wall exemplifies an architectural project where scale, material, and narrative converge to provoke critical reflection. The twisting steel and layered graphics engage viewers visually and conceptually, but one might question whether the installation could overwhelm its surroundings or distract from the broader urban context. Nevertheless, its ability to stimulate conversation around architecture and urbanism highlights its value, pointing toward future projects that integrate public engagement with spatial experimentation and dynamic storytelling.

Conclusion

The Humanise Wall in Seoul is more than a structural feat; it is a conversation starter about the quality of urban design and the psychological effects of buildings on the public. By combining twisted steel forms, graphic storytelling, and multi-sensory engagement, Heatherwick Studio has crafted a space that bridges architecture and human experience. It encourages visitors to reconsider the role of form, scale, and materiality in everyday city life. The project also sets a precedent for integrating interactive installations into public spaces, demonstrating the potential for architecture to engage communities while elevating urban discourse. As cities continue to expand, the Humanise Wall illustrates the impact of design that prioritizes human experience, offering lessons for architects and urban planners aiming to create more empathetic, thoughtful, and responsive urban environments.

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