The North-Eastern part of Seoul, known mostly for its high-rise apartment buildings, was revitalised by a new art museum designed by Samoo Architects & Engineers. A serene atmosphere is created by combining nature and art within an existing park inspired by Nowon; the Suraksan and Bukhansan mountains surround this and was formerly a reed field.
During the design process, the museum’s location became an important consideration. To maximise connections with the surrounding area, the museum was constructed in a way that maximised connectivity, Walking paths, gardens and resting areas are built into the building so that users are provided with a totally new experience, like a white sculpture rising from the hill.
“In harmony with local communities, this space is wide and open”– As a local community institution, the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art blends into its surroundings. This museum is an open structure whose entrance is connected to a park. This museum features outdoor sculpture exhibits, maze-like galleries, a library, a cafe, and a multipurpose hall. Most visitors to this museum are families who use these spaces for various programs.
In addition to hosting events, the front of the museum will also serve as an outdoor gallery space where visitors can experience art and interact with it.
“If we learn to build with local materials, we have a future.”-Francis Kere
Meta- In terms of graphic design, the museum has a strong presence. It is particularly striking from an aerial perspective. Using man-made and natural materials results in a pleasing intersection of precise geometry and materials. There are fantastic architectural gestures in the design of the museum, gestures that are clearly rooted in the museum’s intention to develop a space for creative interaction, such as the stone-built triangular walls, the way grass grows on the building’s surfaces, and how it appears as though it is cut into and reconfigured into the hillside. Materiality and abstractness. Three things: structure, people, and parkland.
A central atrium is surrounded by exhibition halls on each museum at numerous levels. The first floor is home to a library, multimedia centre, and exhibition hall, all easily accessible to kids and teenagers. The basement serves as an educational and multipurpose facility. A continuous flow around the constructed environment and the surrounding landscape is provided by the top floor and rooftop gardens, where an outdoor sculpture park can be located. This extends the museum into the surrounding green area.
“Form ever follows function.”
Micro -There are a few excellent concepts and gestures at work here. As a bold cover design and in the mix of geometric shape and rich imagery, two-dimensional form connects architectural structure, movement around the park, and the opportunity for junction and engagement. The fluorescent colour draws these out. They have a vibrancy and vitality that feels appropriate for a dynamic public place and is eye-catching and unusual, but they also have a seasonality. They are reminiscent of the brilliant green grass of spring and the dry grass of late summer and autumn. They connect them more closely to how time, seasons, and light change the natural environment, architectural structure, and the people who come and interact with them.
The “buk seoul art museum” was created by SAMOO as a sustainable piece of architecture, taking into account the structure’s orientation and the makeup of the façade to reduce cooling loads and increase energy efficiency. Due to its densely populated area, incorporating intensive rooftop gardening and cool-tube effects from perforated walls aims to help minimise heat island impacts.
Architects used the symbolism of a reed to create vertical louvres on the building’s façade as a nod to inspiration. As a result of the metallic louvres and fret pattern glass elements, the museum harmoniously integrates into the apartment buildings surrounding it.
First Floor Plan
“Interior”- The inside of the museum has been built to reduce distractions for visitors, emphasising providing a tranquil setting. In the atrium and corridors, indirect or reflected natural lighting has been used to provide visitors with a sense of connection to the surrounding environment outside the museum. Triangular geometries, which are trademark aspects of the museum environment, have been extended to offer a continuous spatial experience.
Reference list:
https://bpando.org/2018/07/03/buk-seoul-museum-2018/
https://www.samoo.com/home/works/view.do?cntntsSn=48
https://www.archdaily.com/406753/buk-seoul-museum-of-art-samoo-architects-and-engineers
