At the construction site for the reconstruction of Jamsil Jinju Apartments in 20-4 Sincheon-dong, Songpa District, Seoul, sound barriers are being installed within 1 meter in some buildings, which is causing backlash from some prospective residents. When they open their windows, they are nearly reaching the sound barriers. Some residents are considering applying for an injunction to stop the construction.
According to the maintenance industry on the 26th, sound barriers are currently being installed near the road in the Jamsil Jinju Apartments reconstruction site. Some communities are expressing discontent as sound barriers are being placed less than 1 meter away from the buildings.
If the sound barriers, which are currently only at the foundation construction stage, are completed, they will be positioned so close that residents will see only the sound barrier when they open their windows. The installation standards dictate that sound barriers are built at heights ranging from 3 to 15 meters, and residents argue that even excluding cases where the first floor is designated as a pilotis, residents of the 2nd to 3rd floors suffer as well.
Residents claim that the reason for the sound barrier being installed so close is due to the union misinterpreting the land to be contributed to Seoul City. One resident asserted, "There was apparently a calculation error related to the contributed acceptance during the initial design phase."
In relation to this, a union official explained, "Initially, the calculation was to install the sound barriers along the boundary line of the redevelopment site, but due to conflicts among various complex standards, sound barriers ended up being installed inside the boundary line in certain communities."
Prospective residents on the lower floors have filed complaints with Seoul City, stating they cannot endure the inconvenience, and are also considering applying for an injunction to stop the construction. One resident said, "The proximity of the installation causing inconvenience is the biggest issue, more so than noise and design problems. It is also not ideal that the delay in occupancy affects all residents, and while we are willing to accept it if it needs to be installed according to regulations, it is unreasonable that discussions about the installation are progressing while ignoring a minority of lower-floor residents." They added, "We have consistently raised objections to Songpa District and the union and are discussing applying for an injunction to stop the construction."
As the controversy arose, Seoul City, in collaboration with Songpa District, is holding a deliberative committee to consider whether to install the sound barriers. The construction company, Samsung C&T, stated that it will wait for an agreement between the union and the residents. A representative of Samsung C&T noted, "The installation of sound barriers is a matter where there is a conflict of opinions among the Seoul City review departments, and I understand that the union is discussing with the permitting department," and added, "The construction team has only completed the preliminary work for the sound barriers at the request of the union, and then halted the work, planning to complete the construction to avoid delays based on future agreements."
The Jamsil Jinju Apartments are set to be reborn as Jamsil Raemian I-Park through the housing reconstruction maintenance project. The complex is being built by a consortium of Samsung C&T (the lead underwriter) and HDC Hyundai Development Company. It will consist of a total of 2,678 dwellings across 23 buildings, underground floors up to the highest 35 stories. The expected occupancy date is December this year.