Suwon Ilwol and Yeongheung Arboretums Win Consecutive Awards at National-Level Competition

Suwon Ilwol Arboretum, Gaining Attention as an Urban Ecological Arboretum

Ilwol Arboretum and Yeongheung Arboretum in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, are consecutively receiving awards in nationwide competitions.

Ilwol Arboretum was recently selected as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award winner in the cultural landscape category at the '2023 Korea Land Grand Prize,' jointly hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements. Following 111CM last year, this marks the second consecutive year that a public building in Suwon has been recognized.

Located at 61 Ilwol-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Ilwol Arboretum is Suwon's first arboretum, developed since 2015 with an investment of 74.2 billion KRW over an area of 101,500㎡.

The arboretum features a nature-friendly architectural design harmonizing with nearby high-rise apartment complexes and Ilwol Reservoir, creating a beautiful landscape. By utilizing the existing terrain, which was previously rice paddies, and the characteristics of the reservoir, it secures ecological continuity and presents a naturalistic garden concept. The site is divided mainly into the Welcome Garden and the Ecological Garden, where native plant resources of the Suwon area are planted, earning praise for embodying historical and regional characteristics.

The award ceremony will be held on the 25th at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul.

Earlier in July, both Ilwol Arboretum and Yeongheung Arboretum were honored at the 13th Korea Landscape Awards, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korean Society of Landscape Architecture. Ilwol Arboretum received the Forest Service Director's Award in the public sector, while Yeongheung Forest Park, which includes Yeongheung Arboretum, was awarded the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister's Award in the private sector.

Yeongheung Forest Park, surrounding Yeongheung Arboretum, is an excellent example of returning long-term unexecuted parks in Yeongtong-dong and Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, to citizens through private development. The total area is approximately 590,000㎡, including 146,000㎡ of arboretum. The park and arboretum, emphasizing ecology and harmonizing with nearby apartment complexes, lead the spread of differentiated garden culture.

The award ceremony will take place on September 13th at the Suwon City Complex Cultural Space 111CM.

A Suwon City official stated, "The consecutive awards in the country's most prestigious competitions confirm the excellence of Suwon's arboretums."

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