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Posco’s steel technology brings aesthetics to cultural heritage restoration

May 24, 2024 - 15:26 By Park Se-ra

PosART technology-merged art fence located at the restoration site of the Seonwonjeon area of Deoksugung palace. (Posco Group)

Posco has harnessed its cutting-edge steel technology in the delicate task of South Korean cultural heritage restoration, transforming conventional sites in Seoul into vibrant spaces of public art and relaxation.

At the heart of this project is PosART, or Posco Advanced Resolution printing Technology. It is an innovative steel sheet developed from PosMAC, or Posco Magnesium Alloy Coating Product, Posco’s proprietary corrosion-resistant steel. PosART also boasts the ability to render vivid colors and delicate textures, and offers up to four times the resolution of conventional steel sheets.

Last August, Posco Group and the Korea Heritage Service joined hands to enhance the design and structural integrity of restoration sites.

On April 25, the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the KHS unveiled the art fence made out of PosART in the Seonwonjeon area of Deoksugung, with KHS chief Choi Eung-chon, US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg, and Posco’s director of steel products for construction marketing Oh Do-gil in attendance.

The PosART art fence represents a significant departure from the conventional plastic panels and sheets typically used at restoration sites, appealing aesthetically and with promising durability. Instead, it employs PosMAC, and is enhanced with Posco Steeleon’s PosART technology.

The fences, installed both inside and outside the Seonwonjeon area and at three locations in the Yeonghundang area of Gyeongbokgung, feature designs inspired by the site's historical flora, created by photographer and Royal Palaces and Tombs Center Ambassador Lee Myoung-ho.

The company plans to expand the use of technology and other steel products in restoration projects at Gyeongbokgung and other cultural sites, Posco said.

Meanwhile, PosART has been extended in its deployment in other areas of public infrastructure.

In April, in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, comprehensive information guideboards for Seoul Trail 2.0 were installed as a part of the circular economy society promotion agreement signed by Posco and the Seoul Metropolitan Government last July. The guideboards, crafted with PosART for enhanced visibility and durability, were placed at six key points along the trail, including Maeheon Citizen's Forest and Hwagyesa Temple.

Information guideboard of Seoul Trail made with PosART, at Maeheon Citizen's Forest, Seoul. (Posco Group)