A new Korean garden reimagines tradition for the 21st century

A new Korean garden has just been unveiled to the public. The impressive 23,000 sq m site is located in Yangpyeong within Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, nestled in a quiet valley once filled with wild mekkot (a species of the ipomoea morning glory flower). Médongaule Korean Gardens is an ambitious undertaking to reinterpret the country's rich garden tradition that had largely faded from the peninsula's cultural landscape following Japan’s colonisation of Korea (1910-1945) and the subsequent rapid industrialisation. Rooted in the spirit of the Joseon Dynasty (14th-19th century) and its Neo-Confucian academies, scholar gardens, and traditional Korean villas (complexes known as seowon), the project reimagines tradition for contemporary times.

Tour the Seongok Academy Building at Médongaule Korean Gardens

When Korea’s prominent architect Seung H-Sang, who is widely respected for his vision, emphasising modest, nature-harmonising designs with deep Korean cultural roots, met the client in 2018, they agreed to build a modern seowon within the garden, inspired by the country's landmark Byeonsang Seowon. The latter, a heritage site, was built in the 16th century as a private, rural Neo-Confucian academy that served as both a school and a Confucian shrine. It is considered an outstanding example of Korean architecture to this day.

The more modern Seongok Seowon Academy at Médongaule Korean Gardens has just been completed and is designed for a wide range of cultural activities, including learning, meetings and exhibitions. Its madang, a central, open, flat ground area, also acts as a flexible, communal space for events, such as concerts and festivals. Its undulating topography mirrors the site's terrain, naturally evoking the image of the similarly sloped Byeongsan Seowon. 'How to reinterpret Byeongsan Seowon in a contemporary manner became the challenge I set myself,' Seung says.

According to the architect, Byeongsan Seowon possesses exceptional spatial qualities. 'It is not the architecture itself that is significant, but rather the exquisite manner in which the buildings relate to nature. The rules, order, and scale of the void spaces created by the architecture are outstanding, and the way in which the architecture enables those within the space to view nature is truly remarkable,' he explains.

While fully embracing that approach, Seung naturally adapted the materials, techniques and forms of his design to suit the modern time. It was important for him to apply his philosophy of ‘Beauty of Poverty’, showcasing how a humble life – one of emptying and sharing, a life that knows how to be poor despite having money – can be beautiful.

Seung also brought the power of Mandaeru, the tower-shaped pavilion that serves as a conduit linking nature with the architecture at Byeongsan Seowon, to his own, new seowon. People can pass beneath the tower structure, but also climb up, allowing different perspectives in relation to the surrounding ground level. This approach was not unique to Byeongsan Seowon; it is a common method employed by Buddhist hermitages (amja), which are often nestled within mountains and sloped sites.

According to Seung: 'The concept of emptiness from Byeongsan Seowon was applied, but the rest reflects my own architectural philosophy.' He explains that, unlike Byeongsan Seowon, the structure here possesses a markedly different internal layout where all buildings are interconnected and permeate one another.

For Seung, connecting buildings means creating spaces that organise and enrich one’s life by bringing together people and nature, moving beyond mere function or aesthetics to foster contemplation and meaningful dwelling, often using voids and deliberate ‘discomfort’ to make life more vital and connected to place and memories. 'I designed it so that upon entering, while one traverses through the space, the differing levels of each building allow visitors to experience distinct spatial qualities. Within this framework, various activities are designed to be closely interlinked.'

Asked how he wants people to use Seongok Seowon, the architect mentions ‘Heterotopia’ by French philosopher Michel Foucault – a thesis that argues that some physical places also act as 'other' worlds – cemeteries or gardens, for example. Similarly, Seung believes the purpose of a garden is to enable people to leave the mundane world behind, finding energy in its enchanting beauty, and then returning refreshed to their daily lives. 'Like traditional seowons, the building was going to be placed in a quiet corner within the Medongaule, and I wanted it to be a space for contemplation and reflection where one could forget the world and discover a new self.'

Seung designed the seowon complex arrangement to reflect such an intention. The Tower of Dokrak (a word meaning 'enjoying solitude') symbolises a space for those wishing to find escape from the everyday world. Meanwhile, the Gyeongoeam Buddhist Temple is a place for retreat at the very top of the land. It contains nothing but a single room and a single madang (courtyard), with no other facilities. It was designed solely for sitting and contemplation, conceived to allow users to enjoy solitude most profoundly.

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