seoul botanic park incorporates a flower-shaped roof and triangular glass façade

located in the south korean capital’s magok, gangseo-gu, the seoul botanic park is the largest greenhouse to be built in the country. the park, which has been designed by architect chan-joong kim, landscape artist ou-gon jon, and master planner zoh kyung-jin, comprises four main spaces: a theme park, an open forest, a lake garden, and a wetland garden. within the themed areas, 12 variations of plants from 12 cities (hanoi, sao paulo, jakarta, bogota, perth, barcelona, san francisco, rome, tashkent, athens, istanbul and cape town) are held, representing their unique botanical cultures and climate of each geographical location.

bird’s eye view of seoul botanic park, image courtesy of seoul metropolitan government

opening to the public this month, may 2019, the seoul botanic park incorporates a ‘flower-shaped’ or ‘flattened glass dome’, which architect chan-joong kim designed to be ‘lower in the middle and higher along the edge’, contrasting to the traditional design, and hence expanding the user experience. inside the observatory, a skywalk stretches across the upper canopy of the garden to allow the viewing of exotic plants from multiple angles, while down-sized hot air balloons float around. the roof, which extends through the diameter (100 meters) of the structure, utilizes the ETFE glazing material (special glass-like plastic), which allows excellent light transmission, while its light-weight fabric reduces carbon dioxide emissions into the air.

interior view

small hot air balloons float around the space

interior view featuring the hot air balloon

12 variations of plants from 12 cities are exhibited

exterior view detailing the triangular glass facade

hexagonal roofing utilizing EFTE

the skywalk, image courtesy of seoul metropolitan government

project info:

name: seoul botanic park

architect: chan-joong kim

landscape artist: ou-gon jon

master planner: zoh kyung-jin

location: 161, magokdong-ro, gangseo-gu, seoul

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edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom