Foster + Partners architects have won a completion to design the masterplan for the expansion of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, an extensive mixed-use scheme in South Korea.

The 300sq km project will encompass the islands of KangHwa and OnJin-gun, located to the north west of Seoul. It has been conceived as “self-sufficient, sustainable development extending organically from a central transportation spine, creating a centre for green industry and serving a population that is expected to grow from 35,000 to 320,000 residents and commuters”.

According to Foster + Partners, which won the contract in association with PHA and Mobility in Chain, KangHwa will be a national centre for sustainable industry, while OnJin-gun island will be turned into a sustainable resort. Eventually South and North Korea will be connected via the world’s longest bridge.

No building in the scheme will be taller than 50m, in order to preserve the rural landscape. Construction will be phased over 10 to 15 years.

Grant Brooker, a design director at Foster + Partners, said: “Working at a very strategic level, we saw the masterplan as an opportunity to explore the sustainable potential of this extraordinary island, exploiting its pivotal position close to Seoul and its rugged landscape. We are delighted that the judges share our vision and, along with our collaborators at A+U, PHA and MIC, we hope to develop the project into the next stage.”