Common Ground

icon-location200 Achasan-ro, Jayang 4(sa)-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
“Korea's first and largest container shopping mall complex in the world, built with 200 shipping containers”

Created with the motto of expanding street fashion and independent culture, Common Ground is Korea's first cultural space made from shipping containers. 200 shipping containers make up the Common Ground, offering exciting shopping experiences, gourmet restaurants, and modern youth lifestyle trends. The Common Ground also has a Market Ground and a Play Ground that hosts a variety of events and performances.

Common Ground is the result of an experiment to revive wasteland in the middle of the city. By applying prefab methods, e.g. manufacturing modules in a factory, transporting them to the site and assembling them on site. The sprawling pop-up mall spans over 5,400 square meters. Each container is painted an eye-catching bright blue and they are stacked into a three-story structure. It has 70 shops, 20 restaurants and a terrace on the third floor.

Common Ground has four main spaces: Market Hall, Street Market, Terrace Market and Market Ground.

- Street Market: inspired by an alley market and keep the structure of the crate as much as possible.
- Market Hall: taking advantage of the solid grid structure (Truss structure), it emphasizes the solidity of the modules
containers stacked on top of each other and frames between containers. The stores in the Market Hall area are usually well-known stores online and include 26 boutique brands.
- Terrace Market: gathers food and beverage stores of small brands from trendy areas of Seoul.
- Market Ground: in the outdoor area, between Street Market and Market Hall, is a place for food carts and some famous restaurants. The central square, surrounded by containers, often hosts weekend markets, exhibitions and live music performances.

On the busy main road side, container modules are stacked to add impact to the building's exterior and attract the attention of passersby. Common Ground redefines the conventions of retail platforms by reinterpreting the role of culture and focusing on bringing people together to create meaningful value for all involved.


Address: 200 Achasan-ro, Jayang 4(sa)-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul

Opening hours: daily 11:00-22:00 / some restaurants on the 3rd floor open until 01:00