Architects Populous have won a major design competition to create the NC Dinos Baseball Park in Changwon City, South Korea.

The collective of architects, designers and technical experts will now lead design of the 22,000-seat NC Dinos Baseball Park, near Busan in the south of the country, with a construction value of US$100m (€90m, £65m).

Working with local partner Haeahn Consortium, a key feature of the Populous design is the rooftop gardens stretching the length of the building area. The gardens take inspiration from the design of the High Line in Manhattan – a park built on an elevated section of a disused New York Central Railroad.

Populous senior principal Andrew James explained that the project is the first true baseball ballpark for families and fans in South Korea and the design has built on the firm’s extensive experience with MLB in the United States, particularly Petco Park in San Diego and Target Field in Minneapolis.

“It’s a major breakthrough for sport and entertainment in Korea, because the stadium is designed with post-match legacy in mind, to be busy and active all year round, not just on game day,” said James.

“It is the first baseball stadium in South Korea to have 360-degree open views to the field and circulation around the whole stadium,” he added. “The fixed seating of the infield is complimented by the casual seating areas around the outfield, with grass berms and timber terraces, to create a flexible, relaxed space for families and fans.”

The NC Dinos are one of the newest teams in the Korean Baseball League, formed in 2011, and this year ranked second in the League with an ever-growing fan base.

With construction scheduled for completion in 2018, the new stadium will also be surrounded by interactive parklands, while all commercial spaces within it – including restaurants, fan retail shop, function room and café – have also been designed for use outside of match days.