The City of Seoul, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, held the first The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism(SBAU) in 2017 in an effort to regain its status as a human-centered eco-friendly city and deal with a variety of issues derived from the rapid urban growth on the theme of urban architecture.

The term “biennale” was first used at La Biennale di Venezia, which was an international fine art exhibition held at Venice(“Venazia” in Italy in 1895, Biennale events are held for international exchanges and discourses through exhibitions. The first biennale in architecture was held as part of La Biennale di Venezia in 1968. Such biennale events on the theme of architecture are held in cities such as Chicago, Rotterdam, Hong Kong-Shenzhen, etc.

The SBAU aims to explore urban issues of global cities, providing Seoul as a tested to look for alternatives. The structure of the SBAU is composed of few sections: Thematic Exhibition presenting the theme of each edition of the biennale, Cities Exhibition inviting leading public projects carried out by global cities, Global Studios gathering ideas from future architects and urbanists. Also, SBAU invites key actors, such as experts, administrative institutions, and the public, to draw up the future of Seoul through various educational and participatory programs.