ETFE Garden | New Korea Garden

The “New Korean Garden” designed by SKNYPL Studio in Moscow is a unique meeting and event space located on the roof of a street in Seoul, South Korea. It is made up of pebble like inflatable bags.

This design is considered a contemporary interpretation of traditional Korean gardens, where simplicity and nature are typical key elements, while rock arrangement is considered a crucial element.

The design participated in an international competition, inviting designers to transform the roof of the “Seoul City and Architecture Hall” into a public space, providing a “unique leisure experience”.
SKNYPL Studio said that “New Korean Garden” personifies Korean gardens and explores them, giving them new meanings. Its color and shape evoke associations with plants, stones, and hills, forming the foundation of the Korean Garden Harmony Theory.

There, people can gather together, talk in a relaxed atmosphere, read after retirement, see the city from outside, come with children, and give them a playground to play in the city center. ”
The priority consideration for SKNYPL Studio’s “New Korean Garden” design is to create a multifunctional space with instantly recognizable features, while also being easy to reconfigure and made of sustainable materials.

To achieve this goal, the design includes a large number of inflatable materials of different sizes made of ETFE (a recyclable fluorine based plastic), which are then filled with air.
Therefore, this space can easily transform from a maze like meeting space during the day to a more organized activity venue at night.

SKNYPL Studio explains, “Gardens and spaces are no longer inert, they have become creatures that change over time
SKNYPL Studio’s design also includes a series of smaller “flying elements” – inflatable devices filled with helium and attached to the site.
These designs are intended to allow people to see inflatable landscapes around Seoul, while also serving as billboards for exhibitions and events held in Seoul.