multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park’s trees in seoul

spanning 400 meters across five layers, immersive resilience garden blends nature and artificiality within seoul's ttuksom han river park.

Changyeob Lee edited by christina vergopoulou July 12, 2024 4 min

Immersive Resilience Garden redefines Seoul’s public space

StudioReBuild’s Immersive Resilience Garden project redefines public space within Ttuksom Han River Park in Seoul. The design introduces a 250 sqm submerged lounge space designed to immerse visitors in a 360-degree natural experience within the park, one of Seoul’s busiest recreational areas.

The three-dimensional naturalistic garden aims to enhance public engagement and provide a serene escape from artificial visual overload, allowing visitors to reconnect with nature. The garden is designed as a dynamic terrain, offering guidance for plants to thrive in a multi-layered, intimate space inspired by natural spatial structures and interactions. The garden incorporates perennials and grasses that exhibit multi-year variations, changing in colors, textures, and structures. Through continuous interaction across five layers spanning 400 meters, the design evokes a symbiotic relationship between nature and artificiality, blending seamlessly with the existing landscape.

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 1 — all images by ©Kyungsub Shin

StudioReBuild composes A Multi-Layered Natural Escape

The Immersive Resilience Garden is architect and professor Changyeob Lee’s first public realm project in Seoul, following over a decade of practice in London. Selected through an international competition for the 2024 International Garden Fair organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the project will continue beyond the event, which runs until October 8th, 2024.

Inspired by the interactions of bees, beetles, and butterflies with nature, the garden features a layered structure that creates enclosed spaces for insects to escape urban environments. This principle of non-humans’ and nature’s interactions is applied on a human scale with three tiers of plants: tall A group, mid-level B group, and low-lying C group. Large plants along the perimeter will grow to human height over time, showcasing the garden’s transformation through the seasons. The garden invites visitors to explore and interact with nature, offering an immersive experience of resilience. By choosing perennial plant species, the designers promote sustainability, providing the garden with varied natural scenes year-round without artificial irrigation. This self-sustaining growth supports biodiversity, creates a healthier microclimate, and improves urban quality of life.

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 2 — submerged lounge-like space surrounded by naturalistic garden

StudioReBuild’s Innovative Approach to Sustainable Urbanization

Operating within a limited budget, computational design was used to optimize the buildability of irregular forms, minimizing material wastage. Approximately 400 bespoke metal units were cut to fit custom joints, allowing for efficient assembly and welding. Prefabricated in 5-meter lengths for easy transportation, this approach reduced on-site labor. Through these technological endeavors, the project was completed within budget constraints. Designer Changyeob Lee, co-founder of Studio ReBuild and professor at Hanyang University, along with garden designer Jin Lee, advocates for context-driven, nature-centered, and human-focused design thinking. His practice aims to address the complexities of rapid urbanization in Korea through innovative design.

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 3 — existing trees utilized as points of form emergence

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 4 — perennial plants live at lounge level

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 5 — Immersive Resilience Garden is open to the public without age restriction

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 6 — seating level

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 7 — bird’s eye view

immersive-resilience-garden-studiorebuild-seoul-designboom-1800-2 — coils separate planted zones

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 8 — exploration of the garden along the meandering path

multi-layered maze-like public garden by studiorebuild coils around river park's trees in seoul - 9 — multiple layers interact with each other

immersive-resilience-garden-studiorebuild-seoul-designboom-1800-3 — the layers provide habitat for perennials and grasses

multi-layers detail with T-shaped profile project elements born out of interaction and relation entry step details and light ingeration

project info:

name: Immersive Resilience Garden
architect: Changyeob Lee + StudioReBuild | @studiorebuild

client: Seoul Metropolitan Government

general contractor: Design Studio Jireh

location: Ttukseom Hanriver Park Area, Seoul, South Korea

area: 250 sqm

fabrication: Systemi:City Lab + GSI

lighting design: Nehte light & Lighting

sponsor: Hanyang University Linc 3.0

photography: Kyungsub Shin

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