Hyundai Engineering said on the 24th it won silver and bronze at the 16th Artificial Ground Greening Awards.
Hosted by the Korea Artificial Ground Greening Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Artificial Ground Greening Awards are run to broaden the base of artificial ground greening and encourage superior materials and technologies.
Artificial ground greening converts urban environments such as multifamily housing into ecological spaces to boost urban resilience, and is effective in mitigating heat islands, storing rainwater, and absorbing carbon.
The awards ceremony for the 16th Artificial Ground Greening Awards was held on the 5th at UNESCO Hall on the 11th floor of the UNESCO Building in Myeong-dong, Seoul. Ten outstanding cases of artificial ground greening implemented in various environments, including under overpasses, rooftops, and indoor gardens, received awards.
Hyundai Engineering received the silver and bronze prizes for the landscape spaces of "Hillstate Sosa Station" and "Hillstate Hyangdong," respectively.
Hillstate Sosa Station, which won silver, presented a model of multifamily housing that responds to climate change in a high-density urban setting. A wooden deck promenade connecting the entire rooftop, along with an ecological pond and a dry stream, induced stormwater circulation and storage to control peak runoff.
This purifies the air and reduces urban heat islands through the cascades and fountains of water features and mist-fog devices within the complex. In green spaces, native species from the region (peach trees) were used to improve planting adaptability, and species were selected with consideration for environmental conditions such as sunlight, ventilation, and carbon absorption to maximize climate change responsiveness.
The gardens installed on the rooftop and at ground level of Hillstate Hyangdong focused on overcoming the physical limits of artificial ground, such as insufficient soil depth, structural load, and strong winds. A root barrier layer was installed to prevent plant roots from degrading structural durability, while lightweight soil minimized load and enhanced aeration and moisture retention.
In particular, through diverse spatial compositions such as a sky garden planted with seasonal flowering plants and a rock garden created against the backdrop of Bongsan, the spaces were composed as artistic areas that blend with nature.
Hyundai Engineering has won a total of seven awards at the Artificial Ground Greening Awards to date. In 2019 and 2022, it proved its landscape capabilities by receiving the environment minister's grand prize for "Gangnam N Tower" and "DIMC Terratower."
A Hyundai Engineering official said, "This award recognizes our efforts to respond to climate change and restore urban ecology," adding, "We will continue to do our best to create sustainable green spaces through creative design and technology."