SPACE March 2025 (No. 688)
FarmHannong presents a smart greenhouse, showcasing a new urban lifestyle
Easily monitor and cultivate your crops by connecting to online applications
Enjoy a ‘city life oriented towards wellness’ with health-boosting vegetables
Exterior view of Changsawon Yeonam Branch ©FarmHannong
Ground floor lobby and cultivation area ©FarmHannong
Indoor view from the second floor ©FarmHannong
The cities in which we live are becoming denser and developing in tandem with urban infrastructure. Under these circumstances, which incur urban congestion and overpopulation, where might we find our comfort zone? Unlike those of the past generations who were able to commune more easily with nature, the number of ‘asphalt kids’ who have spent all of their formative years in a concrete jungle is increasing. For this generation, what is it to achieve a healthy balance between nature and the city? To address these concerns, Changsawon suggest opportunities for hands-on experiences, including harvesting fruits or vegetables.
Changsawon, inspired by ‘Changsa-ru’ the first recorded greenhouse, is a smart farm that reinterprets the traditions and technologies of our ancestors in a modern way. According to Sangayorok, a 15th-century agricultural text from the Joseon dynasty, our predecessors built Changsa-ru in the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung Palace to cultivate flowers and vegetables for the royal families. It is notable that the record predates the German greenhouse, the Heidelberg built in 1619, by 170 years.
Changsawon has modernised traditional Korean greenhouse technologies, incorporating the ondol-based ‘root zone heating system’ from the Joseon era and humidity control techniques that use oil-treated hanji paper and steam from traditional iron cauldrons. The ‘root zone heating process’ directly transfers heat to the soil or substrate near the roots to regulate temperature, while the condensation control ‘Multi3 System’ simultaneously adjusts temperature and humidity to prevent mould and bacterial diseases. Additionally, an energy-saving system has been implemented with an optimised hydroponic nutrient circulation system and an advanced environmental control system, creating a greenhouse that is perfectly suited for crop cultivation.
Farm Hannong, which is responsible for the green bio sector within LG Group, established Changsawon to offer urban residents a unique opportunity to connect with nature and experience a new way of interacting with the environment. Opened in Jan., this year, Changsaweon, consists of two buildings: a cultivating greenhouse (170-pyeong, 560㎡) and a CX lounge (32-pyeong, 105㎡). It provides the perfect urban farming environment, where temperature, humidity, sunlight, and nutrients are carefully controlled.
Anyone with a smartphone can easily appreciate the joy of farming. After renting a cultivation lot through the mobile app Changsawon, users can follow the step-by-step instructions to harvest fresh and healthy produce. The app allows users to monitor the growth of crops anytime, anywhere, and to share their experiences with the community. In addition, Changsawon also offers various courses and programmes such as the city farm one-day class ‘Farm to Table’, where participants can both harvest and cook their own produce.
Another feature of the programme, the guided tour, ‘A Greenhouse with Stories’, shares the stories behind Changsawon. Furthermore, seasonal cultivation workshops, community markets, and various experiential programmes will be held throughout the year. Recently, the concept of ‘wellness’ has emerged as a key term in defining contemporary happiness. The word, created by combining three different words; ‘well-being’, ‘happiness’, and ‘fitness’, describes an ideal state in which physical, mental, and social health are in harmony. In response to this trend, we find Changsawon, a new community model. To support this new lifestyle, it provides various community spaces including apartments, townhouses, a senior residential home, and medical facilities. Changsawon also presents great potential for urban regeneration projects led by local governments and the food and beverage industry.
Changsawon, also operates a satellite branch at Yonam College in Cheonan. It brings a touch of warmth and greenery to the city which is surrounded by concrete buildings. The branch location is 75-2, Suhyang-ri, Seonghwan-eup, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea.
Various health-promoting vegetables being cultivated at Changsawon ©FarmHannong
Changsawon plant parent’s tending to the crops ©FarmHannong
Greenhouse experience programme in progress ©FarmHannong
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Using the mobile app Changsawon, users can easily select types of crops, submit their application and choose the desired spot to locate their plants in the greenhouse. More specifically, through ‘My-Farm’ function, a plant mom can access daily photographs of their plants taken by a robot named ‘Wonnie’; not only the grander activities such as planting, harvesting or trimming are recorded but also every moment the plants live through can be shared with the plant mom. Regardless of spatial limitations, they can monitor the amount of sunlight and water, or temperature and humidity level to check if their plants are growing well. There are also more functions: the ‘Plant Parent’s Diary’ – offering useful cultivation tips and a calendar to document the growing journey – and the ‘Greenhouse Notifier’, providing updates on important cultivation dates.
