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Snøhetta's Unbuilt Banpo Playscape Reimagines Seoul's Hangang Waterfront

architecture-design · 2026-07-27

The Banpo Ecological Playscape, designed by Snøhetta, is a contender in the 2024 Banpo–Hangang River Connection Park and Cultural Facilities competition. This concept envisions a 38,000-square-meter public area along Seoul's Hangang River. The design aims to restore the connection between the Banpo neighborhood and its waterfront, disrupted by urbanization, by incorporating wetlands, woodlands, cultural venues, and raised walkways. It consists of two main components: an ecological foundation featuring reconstructed wetlands for flood control and biodiversity, and a playscape with plazas, gardens, an amphitheater, and indoor spaces. A triangular platform above the Olympic-daero expressway includes exhibition rooms, a library, and cafés, mitigating traffic noise. The proposal emphasizes the integration of infrastructure, flood management, and recreational spaces within the urban framework, despite not being chosen for construction.

Key facts

  • Snøhetta's Banpo Ecological Playscape was a finalist in the 2024 Banpo–Hangang River Connection Park and Cultural Facilities competition.
  • The proposal spans 38,000 square meters beside the Hangang riverside park and above the Olympic-daero expressway.
  • The design includes reconstructed wetlands, waterways, woodlands, plazas, gardens, an amphitheater, and indoor cultural facilities.
  • A triangular platform folds over the expressway to provide sheltered interiors, viewpoints, and event spaces while buffering traffic noise.
  • The scheme aims to reconnect the Banpo neighborhood with the Hangang River waterfront.
  • The proposal was not selected for construction.
  • Snøhetta envisioned the site as both ecological infrastructure and civic destination.
  • The design includes a continuous pathway linking ecological zones, cultural facilities, and the waterfront.

Entities

Artists

  • Snøhetta

Institutions

  • Snøhetta
  • designboom

Locations

  • Seoul
  • South Korea
  • Hangang River
  • Banpo
  • Olympic-daero expressway
  • Gangnam

Sources