Inauguration Ceremony for ‘Nodeul Global Art Island’ Held
Designer Thomas Heatherwick Travels via ‘Hangang Bus’
Target Completion by 2028…370.4 Billion Won for Construction
On the 21st, an inauguration ceremony was held for the ‘Nodeul Global Art Island’ project. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (center), designer Thomas Heatherwick (right), and Seoul City Council Chairperson Choi Ho-jung (left) arrived at Nodeul Island using the “Hangang Bus”. [Financial News] “Nodeul Island,” which has only been partially open to the public on its western side, will be transformed into a ‘global art island’ for the first time in over 55 years. New forests and waterfront spaces will be created on the eastern side, and these will be connected to the existing western open space via an ‘aerial walkway’. The project aims to be completed by 2028, with construction starting this month.
The project is a part of Seoul’s ‘Hangang Renaissance 2.0: Great Hangang Project’ which began in 2023. Nodeul Island, a man-made island created during the Japanese colonial period in 1917, has seen various development plans such as the recreational development in the 1970s and the opera house construction in 2005, which were ultimately not realized. After opening as a ‘music island’ in 2019, only the western performance venue and some facilities were utilized, while access to the eastern forests and waterfront areas remained limited.
The existing Nodeul Island complex cultural space will be maintained, with plans to create walking paths, a waterfront garden, and other areas to blend nature with culture and art. Particularly, the ‘aerial walkway’ connecting east and west will include exhibition spaces and an observatory, and the eastern forest will be developed as a multilayered deciduous forest to promote biodiversity.
The overall design for the ‘Nodeul Global Art Island’ is led by Thomas Heatherwick, often called the UK’s Leonardo da Vinci. The design, known as ‘Soundscape’, conceptualizes Korea’s ‘mountains’, creating an aerial garden atop concrete pillars and linking it with aerial walkways for a panoramic view of the Hangang River and Seoul.
Under the Hangang Bridge at Nodeul Island, a media facade called ‘Atelier Nodeul’ will be operated, and the Hangang Bus (Yeouido↔Jamwon) will be available. Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Chairperson Choi Ho-jung also used this transportation to arrive at Nodeul Island for the ceremony.
The construction will be divided and carried out in phases with ‘Sky Art Garden (aerial and ground) and ‘Waterfront Cultural Space (basement and waterfront)’. Areas completed early may open sequentially, considering steps based on flood levels. The total cost of the project is estimated at 370.4 billion won, and construction is set to begin in October of this year, with the aim of completion by 2028.
Seoul city officials stated, “Nodeul Island will symbolize Seoul’s vision as a city of emotion and once completed, diverse programs including performances, exhibitions, and festivals will be offered. The center of the Hangang will be transformed into a global stage for the arts.”
Thomas Heatherwick expressed, “There was already an excellent island ready. We considered creating a park accessible to everyone, beyond cultural facilities attracting specific individuals, potentially making it the best park worldwide.” Mayor Oh stated, “Nodeul Island has always been a challenging project for me, but now I can finally restart this unfinished dream. This project is Seoul’s first innovative city architecture design project and embodies our future philosophy.”