The Sejong Tax Office, designed by Mass Studies, has won the grand prize at the 2025 Korea Public Architecture Awards for breaking with convention and embracing its role as a pubic space.
“Spatially, the design pursues a horizontal and open layout that provides a sense of ease for visitors while ensuring operational efficiency for staff,” said jury member Lee Eun-kyung, principal of EMA Architects & Associates, on Dec. 11 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul.
“Tax offices are often associated with discomfort and tension, but I believe this kind of space can help ease that experience.”
The Korea Public Architecture Awards, launched in 2007, are held annually by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to celebrate high-quality public buildings. The review process by the jury of five architecture experts was open to the public on Dec. 11, followed by the announcement of the winner.
The tax office building, named “House of 4 Layers," is made up of four interrelated layers organized around public outdoor spaces and began with the idea to build a space for everyone.
“The contrasting internal courtyard and outer garden allow visitors to enjoy nature even within the context of civic duty, made possible through proactive leadership from the client and close collaboration between the design and construction teams,” the ministry said of the building.
Including the Sejong Tax Office, four finalists competed for the grand prize — Very Very Good Bongsan Center, a community center in Busan; Samda Welfare Center on Jeju Island; and Haenam 123 Hotel in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province.
As the jury chair, Yoon Seung-hyun, professor of architecture at Chung-Ang University, noted that while regional communities often have a strong desire to develop high-quality public architecture, they frequently lack access to practical knowledge and experience.
“Public architecture, I would say, is at least ten times more demanding than private-sector projects, involving an extremely challenging process to achieve meaningful results,” he said. “That is why the efforts of the client, architects and builders who brought this project to fruition truly deserve recognition.”
yunapark@heraldcorp.com
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