Lotte Engineering & Construction is introducing a new residential concept called the "Sorbonne Project" through the rebuilding of Seoul's Mokdong Shinshigaji (New Town) apartment complexes, combining education, nature and arts and culture. The company drew on the way the area around the Sorbonne in Paris has become a place where scholarship and culture coexist in daily life, aiming to carry on the identity of Mokdong — one of Seoul's best-known school districts — after the aging complexes are rebuilt.
According to Lotte E&C on the 16th, the core of the Sorbonne Project is grafting the intellectual and cultural image of Paris' Latin Quarter onto the education and green environment Mokdong has built up over the past 40 years. The plan also reflects the presence of Paris Park in Mokdong, created in 1986 to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France.
Through the project, Lotte E&C plans to link education, nature, arts and culture, and residential services into a single living experience. It will expand libraries and study spaces within the complexes, install landscaping that connects woods, gardens and water features, and offer art and classical music programs along with hotel-style concierge and wellness services. The company is also considering ways to tie the cultural and service capabilities of group affiliates, including the Lotte Foundation for Arts, to its housing products.
Lotte E&C defines this type of housing as "sixth-generation living," a step beyond its existing high-end offerings. The idea is to treat education and cultural content and services available after move-in — not just physical elements such as location, exterior design and premium finishes — as factors that determine the value of a home.
Lotte E&C is weighing bids for complexes that are close to selecting contractors, including Mokdong Shinshigaji complexes 2, 7, 11 and 14, and plans to firm up its participation in line with each complex's rebuilding schedule. Ahead of those competitions, it will formally open "LeEl Lounges" on the 1st of next month near Omokgyo Station and near the cram school district in Sinjeong-dong. The company set up one lounge on each of the eastern and western sides, taking into account how widely Mokdong Shinshigaji complexes 1 through 14 are spread out, and it plans to showcase some of the Sorbonne Project's content there, including media art and classical music programs.
"Because each complex differs in location, environment and transport conditions, we plan to develop individual concepts," an official at Lotte E&C said. "We are reviewing how to give concrete form to the Sorbonne Project's philosophy of nature and education in exterior design, community facilities and programs."
