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Selected from a field of 81 entries representing 26 countries around the world, Toronto-based design firm Office OU has won an international competition for the National Museum Complex Master Plan of the New Administrative City. Praised as a "world-class cultural complex that will be on par with Berlin's Museuminsel, Vienna's Museumsquartier, and Washington D.C's Smithsonian museums," the development will strengthen the political and administrative clout of Sejong City, which is already home to 36 government agencies and over 300,000 people. The budding South Korean metropolis is becoming home to many government facilities that are gradually being relocated south from Seoul.
Designed in partnership with Junglim Architecture, Sejong's National Museum Complex will occupy a prominent position along the bank of the Geum River in the heart of the city. Though an exact number has not yet been set, the master plan envisions approximately a dozen museums comprising the new cultural hub, with venues dedicated to architecture, design, digital heritage, natural history, and Korea's archival traditions joining Office OU's National Children's Museum.
The vision for the 190,000-square-metre site is inspired by surrounding elements of the landscape, including rice paddies, wetlands, forests, and riverbanks. The result is a permeable and interconnected series of programmed outdoor spaces strategically arranged around a central square. The identity of each museum draws on its relationship with adjacent landscapes, whose flavour is transferred into the site. For example, the landscape of the Children's Museum will foster exploration and adventure, while the Archives Museum will be situated within a mountainous topography. Reflected in its name, the garden is treated as a link between culture and nature, a relationship the designers hope will be nurtured through this project.
The design of the campus evokes the traditional palace architecture of Korea's Joeseon Dynasty, which is described by Office OU principal Nicolas Koff as "simple and cohesive complexes, united in their architectural language and yet differentiated by their response to the natural landscape." Speaking to the development's relative architectural restraint, Office OU principal Uros Novakovic stated, "The architecture is not iconic. It's a permeable, space-framing device that allows the unique landscapes to be more fully experienced."
Office OU will design the first three buildings of the National Museum Complex: The National Children's Museum, the Museum Complex's Central Storehouse, and the Central Operations Centre. The first phase of the project, consisting of five museums, is set to be delivered by 2023.
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