SEOUL MUSEUM

© MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim)

'Seoul Museum', located in Buam-dong, Seoul, is an example of an art museum that was completed as an architecture of placeness that doesn't reveal the architecture, from the perspective of restoring damaged terrain and healing the cut terrain for its link with the surrounding environment, rather than the architectural action of building an architecture. In other words, it is a concept of making mountains, applying topographical concepts.

Seoul Museum highlighted its placeness by restoring damaged terrain and using the restored terrain as an exterior sculpture hall, or utilizing it as an open experience space, where various outdoor events are held. There is a distinct difference between restoring as well as healing damaged terrain, and building an architecture.

© YJ Kim

The site was from the transitional period of development, therefore the aim was set to heal and restore the terrain, which was damaged to construct buildings, and shape it into a typical hill-type mountainous terrain to provoke architectural restoration. Seoul Museum was able to go beyond 'building' and was able to secure a visual and psychological openness through the work of 'restoring terrains' that may have already existed. The architectural issues themselves were minimized, from a nature friendly perspective. In other words, it is "Blankism in architecture" that "created a landscape" and spared the topography by expressing architecture without asserting the architecture".

The restored terrain not only secured an open view, but also realized a coexisting architecture that respects the cultural heritage of 'Seokpajeong', a traditional building of 'Daewongun's private residence', through the restoration of the topographical status. On the other hand, the accessibility to the museum's external space was increased with the natural circulation that leads to the outside after the admiration of artworks, and as the cultural space element of an art museum as the main architecture, the historical element of a traditional architecture, and the natural element that flows between them are fused together, a hybrid place was provided.

© MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim)

Seoul Museum has the characteristic of an 'eco-friendly architecture'. The area of the building's envelope was minimized with a "well-hidden building" arrangement. Direct energy saving effects that decrease thermal losses and humidity reduction caused by convection current, which is created with the increase in infiltration due to wind in winter, are obtained. As these matters were evaluated, Seoul Museum also won the Green Architecture Excellence Award.

In this way, Seoul Museum added to the symbolism of Blankism in architecture, and was created as a typical topographical structure completed in Korea.

© MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim)

서울미술관 

서울 부암동에 위치한 ‘서울미술관’은 건축물을 축조(Building)한다는 건축 행위보다 주변 환경의 연계 선상에서 훼손된 지형을 복원하고, 절개된 지형을 치유(Healing)한다는 관점으로 건축물을 드러내지 않는 장소성의 건축으로서 미술관을 완성한 사례다. 즉, 지형학적 개념을 적용한 축산(築山, Making Mountain)의 개념이라고 할 수 있다.

서울미술관은 훼손된 지형을 복원하고 복원된 지형을 야외 조각장으로 사용하거나, 다양한 옥외 행사가 열리는 체험 공간으로 활용해 장소성을 부각했다. 훼손된 지형을 복원해 치유(Healing)한다는 것과 건축물을 세운다(Building)는 것의 차이가 분명하다.

© MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim)

개발 과도기 시대의 현장으로 건축물을 짓기 위해 훼손했던 지형을 치유하고 복원하며, 전형적인 구릉형 산지 지형으로 성형하여 건축적 회복을 야기했다. 이러한 서울미술관은 ‘건축’에서 더 나아가, 기존에 존재했을 수도 있는 ‘지형을 복원’하는 작업을 통해 시각적, 심리적 개방감을 확보할 수 있었다. 친자연적 관점으로 건축 이슈 자체는 최소화한 것이다. 즉, 건축물을 주장하지 않으면서 건축함을 표출하여 지형을 살리고 “풍경을 창조”한 “여백주의 건축(Blankism in architecture)”인 것이다.

복원된 지형은 열려있는 시야(Open View)를 확보했을 뿐만 아니라, 지형학적 위상의 회복을 통해 ‘대원군의 사저’이자 전통 건축물인 ‘석파정’이라는 문화재를 존중하는 상생의 건축을 실현했다. 한편, 미술 감상 후 연계되는 자연스러운 동선으로 미술관 외부 공간과의 접근성을 높였으며, 건축물이 미술관이라는 문화 전통 건축물과 이들 사이를 흐르고 있는 자연과 융합되는 체험 공간(Hybrid Place)의 역할을 한다.

© MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim)

서울미술관은 ‘친환경 건축’이라는 특징도 지니고 있다. 지형에 순응하며, “잘 감추어진 건물”의 배치 형태로 건축물 외피 면적을 최소화했으며, 겨울철 바람에 의한 열손실을 저감시키고, 습기 손실을 감소시키는 등 직접 에너지 절감 효과를 가지고 있다. 이러한 점들이 높게 평가되어 서울미술관은 2012 녹색건축대전에서 우수상을 수상하기도 했다.

이렇게, 서울미술관은 여백주의 건축의 상징성이 더해져, 국내의 대표적인 지형 건축으로 탄생됐다.

© MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim)

MODEL

SECTION

1st FLOOR PLAN

Architects   YEOHEON ARCHITECT & ENGINEERS

Location   Changuimun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 

Program   Museum 

Site area   3,616.23m²

Building area   1,027.84m²

Gross floor area   8,650.60m²

Building scope   B3, 3F 

Building to land ratio   28.42% 

Floor area ratio   183.18% 

Design period   2010. 1 - 10 

Construction period   2010. 11 - 2012. 7 

Completion   2012. 7 

Principal architect   YJ Kim 

Project architect   YJ Kim 

Design team   BK Jang, KR Kim, YS Choi, KS Whang, JS Youn 

Construction   Kium Construction 

Client   Seoul MuseumUSEU 

Photographer   MasilWIDE(Yongsu Kim), YJ Kim