Located about 35 miles from Seoul, the Songdo International Business District (IBD) is one of the largest public-private real estate ventures worldwide and has become a pilot project for its LEED Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certification.
The area has 22 million square feet of LEED-certified space, which represents about 40 percent of all the LEED-certified space in Korea. The project is done under partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, and developed by Gale International with POSCO E&C.
A golf course in Songdo disttict, the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea (JNGCK), had recently hosted the PGA Tour’s 2015 Presidents Cup, attracting over 100,000 visitors and has marked its history by hosting its first event in Asia.
In line with Songdo’s sustainable building practices, JNGCK has more than 190 acres of newly created green space and incorporates green technologies during construction of the course. JNGCK has paid special attention to on-course water conservation by using SubAir systems that push water into the greens when dry and pull water out of the greens when wet. To irrigate the green fields, ponds surrounding the area collect rainwater runoff where water is then cleared by plants and reused.
To help with floods, the course’s hydraulics is featured to act as a storm-water sponge for the city, which means that there is only one discharge to the city’s water system. The overall carbon footprint of the city is maximized due to the course’s tidal flats and sediments.
The green principles of Songdo IBD and JNGCK make it a model of the best environmental practices not only in Asia but across the globe. Songdo IBD intends to host more global events and foster international collaboration within the green building market in the coming years.
