Chungnam Art Museum

Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
[finalist, invited competition]

In the past authoritic image of museum used to be enhanced by strong presence of façade and main entrance. Then, how we redefine the presence of museum. LINE, instead of heavy oppressive volume of the building image, the museum can be read as a line and the volume emerged beyond like a mirage for multiple interpretations.

By the surrounding mountain, fog can be often accumulated around the building creating the image of mirage. The building reveals the new relationship between human and nature and inspires people. And The roof covered by flexible OPV panel becomes visible in more organic expression like contour lines. Regardless time, season, and weather, CN museum will communicate with people and set up a new prototype of what the next generation museum can be.

The signature line space between upper and lower shell goes around following perimeter of the building and provides the world longest media facade. As an open canvas for the artists, media arts and sculptures will be created and presented in this space. This will also allow visual access from the outside at any time, even when the museum is closed, and it will become a global signature space of the Chungnam Museum of Art.

The new art museum should go beyond the concept of storage and display to store and introduce art, and become a platform for the art world. The signature line exhibition space of the Chungnam Art Museum will be the same space as the PS1 of MoMA, which has made a new history.

The circle form allows the multi directional approaches to the building from all sides. The circulation takes not separated ring but spiral form that going through each layer as one continuous motion. Then it evolved into ‘Zig-roll’ incorporating zig-zag to give an alternate direction.

Lobby governs the first impression of the building. The cascading staircase over the entryway serves as a slanted open plaza and seats for the audience of the performances. Seminar rooms on the cascading stairs becomes boxes for seats during performances with glass wall and also work as small stages, platforms, or separate rooms for different purposes when shades are down.

Entry from Hongyae Park is connected to the Café, providing amenity space for admin/office and for visitors of the park and the museum. Visitors can peek through the exhibition from the ramp. The horizontal opening at the café provides panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. The café feels nestled in nature, open and cozy at the same time.

The exhibition circulation going through the boxes provides breathing points in between zig & roll. Organic relationship between the boxes makes bigger scale of exhibition possible. The use of natural light becomes one of the most identifiable characters of the museum. Magic eye allows natural lights into the space, creating feeling of being outside.

Natural sunlight such as rising sun flashes through the signature line, changing moment by moment and creating a dramatic effect for the visitors.

The curved roof with Magic Eye skylight system and OPV covered reduce energy consumption and use for artificial lights.

The use of rain water coming down from the large roof surface will be effectively controlled in the rain garden and retention pond along eave line. The exterior also response to weather changes making same building felt like different building.