Nature-Inspired Welcome Pavilion Debuts at Boramae Park for the Seoul International Garden Show
- The Welcome Pavilion, designed as a symbolic icon of the Seoul International Garden Show, now marks the main entrance of Boramae Park.
- It functions as a central hub that integrates rest areas, exhibitions, and interactive experiences, and will later serve as a participatory public space.
- Together with the “Haneul-Haneul” rest installation, it is expected to enhance the overall appeal of the Garden Show to citizens.
- Starting this year, a newly designed Pavilion will be introduced annually as a signature feature of the Garden Show.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced
that it will unveil the Welcome Pavilion on May 22 as part of the Seoul
International Garden Show. The initiative aims to enhance the identity of the
event and deliver public design that citizens can directly experience.
Until last year, the Garden Show did not
have a dedicated entrance space that provided both symbolic and functional
value. To address this, the Welcome Pavilion was newly introduced this year.
More than just a physical structure, the Pavilion serves as a symbolic landmark
and an interactive space where the city and nature, public policy and everyday
life come together.
Installed at the main entrance of Boramae
Park, the Welcome Pavilion serves as both a visual landmark and an information
hub for visitors. Its slanted canopy and transparent exterior walls harmonize
with the surrounding landscape, while its open design ensures accessibility and
comfort for all.
The Pavilion’s
design draws inspiration from the branches and
leaves of a tree. Its glass walls, slanted roof, and column supports create the
feeling of walking through a forest, enhancing the sense of spatial continuity.
The structure is deliberately designed to blur the boundary between
architecture and nature, connecting interior and exterior spaces through open
visual flow.
The roof,
with its layered leaf-like form, reflects the essence of nature and offers
natural shade for visitors. The floor pattern is organically integrated with
the overall structure, delivering a coherent spatial narrative. With its open
and welcoming layout, the Pavilion allows for easy access and comfortable use
by all.
In the evening, soft lighting illuminates the entire Pavilion, creating a distinct
nighttime ambiance. The lighting design enhances its visual appeal and
encourages continued public engagement after dark.
The exterior of the Pavilion functions as a
public rest area that is freely accessible to all visitors. During the Garden
Show, the interior hosts an exhibition themed “Haechi
House,” where citizens can explore and experience key
policy initiatives of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
After the Garden Show, the Pavilion will remain open as a flexible public facility. It will be used for small-scale weddings, wellness programs, workshops for citizens and organizations, exhibitions, and community events.
Beginning in 2025, the Seoul Metropolitan
Government plans to introduce a newly designed Welcome Pavilion each year as
the symbolic icon of the Garden Show. Each design will reflect the annual theme
and site characteristics, helping to embed the “Design
Seoul” vision into everyday life while strengthening
the event’s identity and appeal.
In 2024, an experiential rest facility
named “Haneul-Haneul” was
installed at Ttukseom Hangang Park, the previous venue of the Garden Show, and
received an enthusiastic response from the public. The net-like structure,
designed to allow visitors to look up at the sky, offered a unique space for
rest and play, particularly appealing to families. Based on an analysis of its
operation and usage patterns, the Seoul Metropolitan Government redesigned and
optimized the installation for Boramae Park this year, further enhancing the
effectiveness of site-specific public design.
“The Welcome Pavilion is a new initiative
that connects public design with citizens’ everyday
lives, policies, and urban spaces,” said Choi Inkyu,
Director-General of the Design Policy Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan
Government. “Through projects like the Pavilion and
Haneul-Haneul, which bring together nature, people, and place, we are giving
form to Seoul’s identity as a design city. I invite all
visitors to the Seoul International Garden Show to stop by the Pavilion and
experience the city’s design vision and policy efforts
firsthand.”
※ Attachment. Welcome Pavilion and Haneul-Haneul Images
