Snøhetta created an “ecological playscape” along Seoul’s dormant Banpo waterfront

Snøhetta went to the final round in the international design competition of Banpo-Hangang River Connection Park and Cultural Facilities. The design proposal is to create an “ecological playscape” along Seoul’s dormant Banpo waterfront, which envisions to reconnect urban life to the essential Hangang through a cultural destination and natural wonderland at the heart of South Korea’s capital.

Located along the Hangang riverside park and spanning above the Olympic-daero expressway, Snøhetta’s “Banpo Ecological Playscape” inserts an ecological framework with a sculptural landmark and recreational programs across the 38,000 sqm site. The design revitalizes the Hangang floodplains as a public space, restoring the lost connection between land and river due to urbanization and infrastructure. The versatile landscape aims to establish harmony between the urban environment and nature, while also reviving the natural ecology and reinstating public access and activity along the waterfront.

The design consists of two layers – the “ecosystem” and the “playscape” – each contributing to its remarkable essence. At the ecological level, it champions climate resilience by managing flood events and nurturing a self-regulating ecosystem with integrated wetlands and woodlands.

The ecological playscape is crafted through the juxtaposition of three distinctive elements, namely the “natural landform”, “triangular platform”, and the “connective thread”. 

Read more about the project.