F1963

About this place

F1963 takes its name from the year Kiswire, the steel-wire maker, opened its first factory here in Busan's Mangmi-dong. After production moved out of the city in 2008, the long factory sheds stood empty until 2016, when they were converted into a cultural complex, first used as a venue for that year's Busan Biennale. The conversion, by architect Byoung Soo Cho, keeps the shape of the old factory and lets its history show: the steel structure, concrete floors and the scale of the production halls remain, while new materials, glazing and planted courtyards are threaded through them. Today the sheds hold exhibition spaces, a large bookshop, a café and other shops, with gardens and a bamboo grove between the buildings. It is one of the best-known industrial reuse projects in Korea and a relaxed place to spend an afternoon. Pair it with the KISWIRE Museum on the hill directly behind, also by Byoung Soo Cho.