[Let's Run Again, Construction Korea] The Approaching Green Future City 'Seoul-type Smart City' Is Coming

<9> SH Corporation Applies Technologies Across Sites to Realize Smart City
Develops 'Moswall' Using Moss Walls to Purify Fine Dust
Promotes Customized Smart City Development in New Project Districts

The smart moss wall installed by Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation in the Magok district of Gangseo-gu smart city is in operation. (Provided by SH Corporation)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] If you go to Balsan Station on Subway Line 5, located in the Magok district of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, you can encounter a sculpture densely covered with unfamiliar plants. It is a 4-meter-high, 3-meter-wide “Smart Moss Wall,” also known as the “Moss Tower,” with both sides of the wall wrapped in moss. This device was created in January this year after much consideration on how to reduce fine dust and carbon dioxide in the city. It is the result of Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation’s (SH) efforts to solve urban problems by combining smart and green technologies.

◆ Energy-saving housing and shared scooter charging stations... Smart city implementation everywhere = SH Corporation utilized the excellent purification properties of moss to realize the Moss Tower. They developed it in June last year, filed a patent, and installed a pilot in the Magok district. The Smart Moss Wall installed in Magok uses moss like an air purifier filter to absorb fine dust within a 50-meter radius and help purify the air. SH expects this to reduce about 12 kg of fine dust and approximately 240 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

SH incorporated smart technology into the Smart Moss Wall to link it with real-time climate information. It also includes solar panels and an automatic irrigation system to supply its own power and automatically provide moisture needed by the moss using rainwater.

SH judged that the concept of smart cities, which was unfamiliar just a few years ago, has already come close to our daily lives, and has applied it on-site through various studies to realize it. An SH official said, “We are making every place where we live a laboratory to find solutions to various social problems.” The Smart Moss Wall is one pillar of the smart city envisioned by SH.

The Smart Green Station installed in the Magok district is also an extension of the smart city. SH developed and operates Korea’s first dock-type rechargeable Smart Green Station. It is a kind of charging station where shared electric scooters can be charged, docked, and returned, combining digital and green technologies. This facility is equipped not only for charging electric scooters but also with a system that measures environmental information such as temperature, humidity, wind, and fine dust concentration in the surrounding area. Considering the air purification effect, the roof of the charging station is wrapped with “Sedum,” a type of plant known to reduce fine dust. The Seoul Botanic Park, a landmark in the Magok district, has also introduced advanced robot services for security and guidance.

Godeok Gangil district in Gangdong-gu is a place where a smart city is being created to activate citizen communities. In the Godeok Gangil district, where a total of 14 apartment complexes are planned, SH designed for a basic 40% energy reduction. In addition, community spaces specialized for each complex were planned to be linked with public networks for convenience. Residents can reserve and pay for community facilities through a mobile application. Shared bicycles and shared scooters are used as transportation within the district.

Through such a living service platform, SH plans to actively encourage exchanges among residents. An SH official said, “We plan and will implement the establishment of a public-private-community governance that cultivates and develops the village together so that the people-centered Godeok Gangil smart city can continuously grow.”

◆ "Developing a new smart city model considering COVID-19" = SH is promoting customized smart cities by introducing smart technologies tailored to the type and location of each new project district.

In Seongdui Village, Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, a 3D spatial information system will be built to realize a “digital twin.” A digital twin is a technology that creates a twin of real-world objects in a computer and simulates possible situations in reality to predict outcomes in advance. SH plans to replicate the terrain, buildings, and obstacles of Seongdui Village identically in a virtual world within a computer to identify and solve potential problems through simulations.

Smart technologies will be applied to urban parks in Wirye New Town. SH is conducting research to apply existing smart technologies such as Cashwalk (a money-earning pedometer) and Naturing (an online nature activity sharing platform) to the pedestrian-centered path (Human Ring) in the Wirye district. Additionally, in Guryong Village, Gangnam-gu, SH plans to implement “Social Smart City Season 2” by creating a hub community-specialized complex and providing residential service platforms. The construction of data centers to support industrial complexes such as Magok and Gangdong districts is also underway.

SH is reconsidering the direction of smart cities after the COVID-19 pandemic, as it believes changes in urban living spaces have become inevitable.

An SH official said, “There is a growing need for spaces that combine production, rest, and culture. The concepts of All in Ville (a village where shopping, education, rest, and other activities can all be done near home) and All in Home will expand,” adding, “We plan to develop a new smart city model including the restructuring of urban spaces.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.