Pockets of nature within large urban centers, like green walls, vertical forests, and urban farms, are all the rage these days. Moscow studio SKNYPL took this into account when it entered a unique urban rooftop garden design for the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture in the Seoul MARU 2019 Design Competition.

The idea proposed by the Russian studio is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Korean garden with the natural elements replaced with large turquoise inflatable elements made of recyclable plastic. The color and shapes evoke associations with plants, stones, and hills, which form the basis of the theory of harmony in the Korean garden.

garden rooftop Seoul

Photo: SKNYPL/Facebook

The inflatables are meant to be easily moved to adapt the space according to its needs, be it meetings, exhibitions, events, or just a regular public park, where people can relax and kids can play.

Seoul inflatable rooftop garden

Photo: SKNYPL/Facebook

There will also be inflatables filled with helium and attached to the rooftop, so no matter where you are in Seoul, you’ll be able to have a glimpse of the garden. These “flying inflatables” will also double as billboards advertising events and exhibitions taking place in the garden.

Seoul rooftop garden view from the streets

Photo: SKNYPL/Facebook

Beyond the functionality of the rooftop design, there’s also an Instagram element to it — clearly, influencers will be all over it.

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