Look around you. This is Seonyudo Park Water Purification Institute. It’s an unusual place where nature meets industrial history.
Seonyudo Park, including this institute, is on an island in the Han River. The island has transformed many times over the years. Once, it was a hill. During the Joseon Dynasty, artists admired the views from Seonyudo. But during the Japanese colonial period, they removed parts of the hill. They needed materials for infrastructure projects.
In 1978, Seonyudo became a water treatment plant. It supplied water to southwestern Seoul. The plant closed in 2000. Then, the area became Seonyudo Park. Designers chose to incorporate the industrial past. They didn’t want to erase it.
Seonyudo Park opened in 2002. The park covers 11.4 hectares. The designers won awards for their work. They carefully used the industrial relics.
Instead of restoring the landscape to its original state, they layered history. They made the industrial past visible. They dismantled the water treatment plant carefully. This showed its inner workings. Former interior spaces became exterior spaces. Columns stand like sculptures.
The Seonyudo Park Water Purification Institute features old sedimentation and filter basins. They planted bulrushes in them. This helps purify water naturally. It shows visitors how water purification works. This is phytoremediation, not chemicals.
Other parts of the park include the Garden of Transition. This is where the old sedimentation basins used to be. It has an aroma garden, a vineyard, and a fern garden. The Garden of Green Columns is another key area. Only the columns remain from the old factory building. Now, plants grow on them.
Nature has reclaimed the Seonyudo Park Water Purification Institute. Trees and shrubs form a green wall. The connection to the river feels lost. The trees grew so fast. Now, they need to remove some for aesthetic reasons.
Many visitors come to Seonyudo Park. They like the industrial aesthetics. They use the scenery for photo shoots and film shoots. The park’s concept of industrial nature is spreading through these images.
Seonyudo Island became an island because of the Han River development project. The architect Cho Seong-yong designed Seonyudo Park. He wanted the past and present to coexist. Seonyudo Park received awards for its design. It’s considered an environmental regeneration project.
Cho Seong-Yong said the park reinterprets the meaning of the land. He saw industrial facilities as part of the land. This was a new idea. Seonyudo Park became a popular attraction. Thousands of people visit on weekends.
The Han River exhibit hall shows the history of the river. The water purification plant uses aquatic plants to purify water. The water playground uses water from this plant. Children can play safely in the shallow water. The Garden of Green Columns has ivy growing on the old columns.
Enjoy the unique blend of nature and industry here at Seonyudo Park Water Purification Institute. It is a testament to Seoul’s creative spirit. It shows how the city embraces its past while looking to the future.