Garden on the highway bridge in Seoul by MVRDV

Following the example of New York's High Line, where an abandoned railway line was transformed into an elevated park, inspiration was also drawn in Seoul, South Korea, where the MVRDV studio converted a 938-meter-long elevated highway from the 1970s into a green pedestrian zone covering one hectare. The project, named “Seoullo 7017 Skygarden“, emerged from an architectural competition, which was won in May 2015 by the project from the Rotterdam office MVDRV. The Skygarden creates a pedestrian connection winding sixteen meters above the surroundings between the main train station and the city center. It contributes to enhancing and refreshing the densely built-up center with 645 flower pots planted with 228 species of local vegetation. Most of the 24,000 shrubs and trees will take several years to grow and provide adequate shading in the heated metropolis.
The reinforced concrete structure, which was built over forty years ago, was intended to alleviate traffic and carry cars over the railway track. However, due to severe structural defects, the car bridge had to be recently closed but remained spared from demolition. MVRDV added a series of concrete walkways, ramps, and stairs to the existing structure, linking the modern "hanging gardens" with the surrounding buildings. The project was also supplemented with cylindrical elevators for barrier-free access. In addition to relaxation, the Korean Skygarden offers a café, exhibition space, observation deck, sun terrace, and visitors will soon certainly discover more uses. In some areas, the roadway was punctured and replaced with walkable skylights, through which the bustling life under the gardens can be observed. At night, all of the more than six hundred flower pots light up with blue LEDs, resembling an extraterrestrial landscape from Cameron's Avatar.