Architecture firms UNStudio and DA Group have emerged as the winners of a design contest for the new Chungnam Art Museum in Naepo, South Korea. The winning proposal is a zero-energy museum—one of the first of its kind in the country—that would act as a cultural and sustainability hub for the city.
The museum proposal’s mission of “art for all” is supported by a design that blends art and technology. The architecture of the institution is porous and allows for entry from multiple sides, fully embracing the public and acting as a shared cultural space. “Art has the power to bring people together,” says Ben van Berkel of UNStudio. “It inspires, it teaches, and it fosters communities. The Chungnam Art Museum will be a place for people to experience this… and much more.”
Two major components in the proposal are the plateaued central courtyard and the main route of circulation called Central Boulevard. These elements help to connect people through the building and to engage with exhibitions in new and interesting ways. All building programs are connected in some way through these major design elements, making them the vehicles through which visitors are engaged with the museum and the art.
In addition to the architects, the multi-disciplinary team included Squint/Opera who helped develop digital content and the exhibition design, Loos van Vliet for landscape, and UNSense for community content. The innovative proposal beat out other world-renowned studios such as BIG, Steven Holl, Snøhetta, Grafton, and SsD + ALA.
UNStudio and DA Group won the design competition for South Korea's Chungnam Art Museum.
The architects proposed a zero-energy museum and cultural center.
