Students from the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Chungnam Provincial University have won the Grand Prize at the Chungnam Public Design Competition with designs that add new value to local traditional markets and historical-cultural spaces.

Chungnam Provincial University (President Jung Myung-gyu) announced that students from its Department of Architecture and Interior Design achieved the remarkable feat of winning both the Grand Prize and a Special Selection at the 19th Chungnam Architecture Culture Festival Public Design Competition.

This award is highly meaningful in that it reexamined everyday local spaces from a fresh perspective and developed the historical and lifestyle values embedded within them into public design.

The Grand Prize went to the student team of Joo Seo-young and Kim Tae-hee, who presented a design project to revitalize the Seonghwan Ewha Market in Cheonan.

The two students focused on the traditional market that has shared the lives of local residents for a long time. They examined the unique characteristics and local stories of the market, incorporating design solutions that allow visitors to use and linger in the space more conveniently.

The project drew attention not simply for renovating run-down spaces, but for presenting the possibility of connecting people's footsteps and daily lives while respecting the intrinsic value of the market.

Additionally, the student team of Jeon Chan-bok and Lee Seung-hwan secured a Special Selection with their design project centered on the Jiksan Hyanggyo (Confucian School) and Hyeon-gwana (Local Government Office), adding to the joy of the achievement.

They explored the meaning and characteristics of historical spaces in the region, showcasing ideas that sought a point of convergence between traditional and modern design.

Under the guidance of Professor Lim Joo-young, both teams directly explored local spaces and places, developing the characteristics discovered during the process into creative designs.

This Grand Prize is significant not only because the students' design capabilities led to success on an external competition stage, but also because it demonstrates the educational value of identifying local problems and contemplating potential solutions.

From the perspective that architecture and design must originate from people's lives, it is meaningful that the students viewed familiar local spaces as places with new possibilities.

Student Joo Seo-young shared, "While examining the space of Seonghwan Ewha Market and the stories of the region, I pondered designs that would allow people visiting the market to linger and use it more comfortably. I am delighted that the ideas shared with my team members led to such a good result, and I learned the importance of the process of translating local characteristics into design."

President Jung Myung-gyu remarked, "Good design is not just about creating something new, but also about rediscovering the value of what is already around us. The fact that students found new possibilities in the old spaces of the region is an achievement just as valuable as winning the Grand Prize."

He emphasized, "A perspective that deeply understands the region can lead to ideas that change people's lives. Chungnam Provincial University will continue to expand the scope of its education so that students can connect the knowledge they have learned with the local community and create the value needed in the world through their expertise."

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