Seoullo 7017
서울로7017
Elevated public walk · MVRDV · 2017 · Jung-gu
Address: 서울 중구 청파로 432
Nearest subway: Seoul Station station
A 1970 car overpass turned into a pedestrian garden in 2017. The name joins those two years: '70' and '17'.
What to notice
- 645 round planters holding more than 200 kinds of trees and plants.
- Views down to the 1925 Old Seoul Station building.
- Stairs and lifts that reconnect the deck to streets below.
Background
Seoullo 7017, also known as the Seoul Skygarden or Skypark, is an elevated linear park in Seoul, built atop a former highway overpass. The path, which is about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in length and lined with 24,000 plants, is similar to New York City's High Line. Skygarden was designed by MVRDV, a Dutch firm, and opened in May 2017. The path also improves walking times around Seoul Station.
The disused overpass closed in 2015 and cuts diagonally across Seoul Station at 17 metres (56 ft) above street level. The "70" in the name comes from 1970, the year the flyover was dedicated, while the "17" is a reference to both the number of walkways connected to it and its opening in 2017. The park includes gardens, terraces, and exhibitions, and was promised to "feature over 24,085 plants representing 228 species of trees, shrubs and flowers found in and outside Korea."
From Wikipedia: Seoullo 7017, opening section, lightly shortened. CC BY-SA 4.0
Architect: MVRDV