Heatherwick Studio has just won the global competition to transform Seoul’s uninhabited Nodeul Island on the Han River into a lively public park. Titled “Soundscape,” the winning project “creates a trail of dramatic spaces on different levels that can host musical performances and artistic interventions.” Situated within a green and biodiverse landscape, the design echoes Seoul’s mountainous terrain and the patterns of sound waves.
Selected after a year-long series of exhibitions, consultations, and a public vote by the people of the city, Heatherwick Studio believes their design offers an opportunity to connect Seoulites with nature, culture, and each other. Visitors to Nodeul Island encounter an ever-changing landscape that adjusts to the seasons and senses.
Nodeul Island is an amazing excuse to escape and embrace the city of Seoul. In this hyper-digital time, when many people feel an increasing sense of loneliness and isolation, we want to make a hyper-physical place that connects Seoulites with nature, with culture, and with each other. A landscape that bends and folds like soundwaves will combine with a new nature-rich waterfront and give everyone a place to discover and express the culture of their city. —Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director.
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The ground level boasts an arts center and a public beach, with the existing artificial landscape now strengthened by soft planting along the riverbanks. The landscape will then rise from the lower level into a trail of walkways and an events podium. It will be connected to a 1.2km skywalk composed of small, floating islets, offering resting spaces and views of the island and the Han River.
The project will be Heatherwick Studio’s first in South Korea to enter the construction phase. Now working with the Metropolitan Government, the new Nodeul Island is expected to be open to visitors in 2027. Earlier this year, Heatherwick Studio presented “Building Soulfelness” at the Bund Finance Center in Shanghai. Last November, Heatherwick Studio revealed a new district in the heart of Tokyo, which was opened to the public by the Japanese Prime Minister. “Azabudai Hills” is a neighborhood that features green space, and mixed-use activities and aims to integrate the urban into nature. Additionally, the studio recently unveiled the design of a new shopping district in the historic city of Xi’an in Shaanxi, China. The proposal aims to highlight the city’s rich heritage of ceramic-making and, through this, to create a sensory experience for visitors in opposition to the restricted act of online shopping.
