As part of the Han River Renaissance, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and SH Corporation jointly organised the International Design Competition for the Magok Waterfront. McGregor Coxall prize winning design for the competition aims at establishing a balance between the apparently irreconcilable contradictions between urban growth and the needs of the environment. Underpinning the design is the philosophical paradigm known in Korea as Eum and Yang where Eum and Yang are opposites, part of Eum is in Yang, yet part of Yang is in Eum. Eum and Yang are interdependent. Eum and Yang consume and support each other. The design locates Eum and Yang on opposite sides of the harbour, yet each exists to support the other. This proposal recognises the interdependency and interconnectedness of the urban and natural systems and puts forward a design that shows how these objectives are compatible in ways that are sustainable and sustaining.