[‘그린스완’시대, 숲이 경쟁력이다]
Indoor forest ‘Sound Forest’
Plant configurations can be tailored to visitor demand
Mr. Jeong (34), an office worker living in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, goes to a nearby department store for a ‘forest vacation’ on weekends. His destination is the indoor forest ‘Sound Forest’ on the 5th floor of The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido. Mr. Jeong said, “I like to relax in nature in the mountains or the ocean, but I can’t go there often,” and “Since there is a forest near my house, I stop by once a week to rest even if I don’t have anything special to do.”
Reflecting the thirst of city dwellers for forests and nature, interest in ‘forests in the city’ is also growing day by day. The Hyundai Seoul’s indoor garden Sound Forest, which opened in February 2021, is considered the most representative example. It is also the ‘killing point’ that The Hyundai Seoul, which has established itself as a trendy shopping space targeting the MZ generation (millennials + generation Z), has put the most effort into. This urban forest, which is approximately 3,300㎡ (approximately 1,000 pyeong), is planted with about 30 species of trees and flowers, including King Benjamin and Hoofia. Five separate landscapers work to look after them.
Overseas distribution companies have been actively utilizing plants in shopping spaces from early on. The representative department store ‘Bon Marché’ in Paris, France, became a hot topic by placing dozens of coniferous trees in the store during the 2019 Christmas season. Kim Do-yoon, head of the Hyundai Department Store Design LAB who created the Sound Forest, said, “Korea and Japan are the only closed department stores in the world,” and “(the Sound Forest) was planned to create an open atmosphere and comfortable space.”
Urban forests are usually artificial forests created by human hands. In other words, they can be configured to meet the needs of visitors. Sound Forest added various scents such as ‘Bergamot’, which contains the feeling of fresh air inside the forest, and ‘Fresh Cut Grass’, which reminds us of leaves and grass, to make visitors feel more at ease. The healing effect that the forest can provide to those who are tired of daily life is maximized through scent.
According to Hyundai Department Store, the average time that customers visiting The Hyundai Seoul spend in Sound Forest is about 37 minutes. This is more than 9 times longer than the average stay time (4 minutes) of fashion brands. Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, “If the stay time simply increases, customers see more things,” and “As a distributor, it can provide a relaxing effect to customers while naturally inducing consumption behavior.”
Reporter Jeong Seo-young [email protected]
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2024-09-23 10:00:53