'Nature Drape Cheongdam' landscaping earns second consecutive win

Curved structures and greenery evoke Han River's flowing waves

Softly curved structures evoking the waves of the Han River are placed throughout the Cheongdam Le El complex, surrounded by greenery and a variety of trees. [Provided by Lotte Engineering & Construction]
Softly curved structures evoking the waves of the Han River are placed throughout the Cheongdam Le El complex, surrounded by greenery and a variety of trees. [Provided by Lotte Engineering & Construction]

Lotte Engineering & Construction announced Monday that the landscaping of its Cheongdam Le El complex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul — dubbed "Nature Drape Cheongdam" — has won the Cultural Heritage Administration Commissioner's Prize at the 2026 Korea Landscape Architecture Awards.

The win marks the second consecutive year the company has taken home a top prize at the awards. Last year, a garden featuring its landscaping brand Green X Groove earned the Korea Forest Service Commissioner's Prize at the 2025 edition.

The Korea Landscape Architecture Awards is the most prestigious honor in the landscaping field, co-hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Landscape Architecture Development Foundation, with support from the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Korea Forest Service and the Cultural Heritage Administration. First held in 2001, the awards are in their 16th edition this year and recognize outstanding landscaping projects that have improved the quality of urban and regional living environments and contributed to residents' quality of life.

The Cheongdam Le El landscaping blends the Han River's natural heritage with the high-end urban lifestyle of Cheongdam-dong. Gently curved structures evoking the river's flowing waves run throughout the complex, wrapped in greenery to create a sense of natural movement. Ancient trees and the artwork "High Love" are placed together, creating a space where nature and art coexist.

Inside the complex, the Reflection Garden weaves together a mirror pond, a teahouse and the artwork "Stardust" into a single cultural and gallery-like space. Residents can sit in the teahouse and watch starlight shimmer and ripple across the still surface of the mirror pond.

The design earned praise for bringing to a residential complex a diverse range of landscaping with the value and sustainability befitting a future national heritage site.

"This award motivates us to create landscaping in residential complexes worthy of being passed on to future generations, in line with the Cultural Heritage Administration's vision of 'future values shared with the people,'" a Lotte Engineering & Construction official said.

Meanwhile, Lotte Engineering & Construction has reduced the outstanding loan balance of a project financing fund — originally established at 2.3 trillion won ($1.73 billion) — to around 890 billion won.


hwshin@heraldcorp.com