Landscape Architect Articles

Landscape Design of Vegas-Style South Korean Luxury Resort Lifescapes International06-10-15 | News

Landscape Design of Vegas-Style South Korean Luxury Resort Lifescapes International

Lifescapes International will design a large Las Vegas-style main entry, the exterior perimeter of the resort, a resort-style pool, poolside bars, wedding gardens, private villas and gardens throughout the 83-acre project.

Lifescapes International, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based landscape architectural firm, has been selected as the landscape architect for Paradise City, an entertainment and gaming resort in Incheon, South Korea.

Lifescapes International has nearly 60 years of experience, a good deal of which has been in entertainment and gaming resorts, including 12 of the most notable resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, including the Wynn Las Vegas, the Bellagio, Paris Hotel & Resort, the Palazzo, Treasure Island, the Mirage and the Venetian. Other notable projects are Red Rock Resort & Spa; Fontainebleau Miami Beach; West Zhujiajian (China); the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki (Greece); the Venetian Hotel; and Resort and the Four Seasons Macau.

"An integrated resort is all about creating the ultimate customer experience and delivering that experience throughout every element of the resort," says Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs, President of Lifescapes International explains Brinkerhoff. "Strategic and thoughtful landscape design are essential to delivering the overall guest experience by creating the vibrant energy that a destination resort like this demands."

Paradise City broke ground in late November 2014. The resort is expected to open in 2017. As part of its work on the perimeter of the resort, Lifescapes International will design large water features, among many other elements.

"We are incorporating the kind of features that will create an overall sensory entertainment experience from the moment one approaches the resort," said Al Amador, senior principal and lead designer on the project. The firm will also create the landscape design for the main resort-style pool, featuring an outdoor bar, private cabanas and landscaping.

The design will integrate many local and native plants to South Korea: Korean firs, bellflowers and hornbeams; Abies koreana, Campanula takesimana and Carpinus coreana. Other native trees will include Pinus densiflora, Taxus cuspidate, Acer palmatum Thunb, Celtis sinensis, Pinus strobus and Ulmus davidiana var. japonica.

Amador explains that one of the major inspirations behind this resort is "hallyu,' or what's called the "Korean Wave," which refers to the popularity of the South Korean culture since the 1990s. "We're generating the excitement of Las Vegas, but creating a uniquely South Korea experience."

Paradise City will be located in the International Business Center of Incheon International Airport, and include several hotels, including a five-star hotel, a casino, a convention center, a hallyu-themed plaza, an indoor theme park, retail shops, restaurants and a luxury spa.

The resort complex is being developed as a joint venture between Korea's casino operator Paradise Group (Chun Phil-lip, chairman), and Japan's entertainment group Sega Sammy Holdings, Inc. (Choi Jong-hwan, CEO). A team of international and domestic designers and engineers has been brought in to design the project.