Herzog & de Meuron has revealed the design for the Seoripul Open Art Storage, a collective archive space that will serve three museums in Seoul: the Seoul Museum of Art, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, and the Seoul Museum of History. Going beyond the archive program, the proposal aims to open up the building to visitors, transforming the art storage into a dynamic civic space. Located on the Eastern Border of Seoripul Park, the building is characterized by a pyramidal glass structure set in a garden that functions as a secluded outdoor space for Archive/Museum visitors.
The project creates architectural elements for the specific programs it encompasses: Café, Library, Art Delivery, and Art Handling. These are treated as mineral blocks that anchor the pyramidal glazed volume that houses the archive. This glass envelope features a horizontal gap at the top, where the Administration and restaurant are located. Above this floor, the last upper section of the building is dedicated to Art Preservation Workshops.
The terrain surrounding the building will be transformed into a terraced landscape with gardens inspired by traditional Korean garden principles. The four mineral blocks are placed in a way that maximizes views towards various ‘borrowed landscapes,’ while also accommodating specific programs in relation to their surroundings. In between the volumes, a special exhibition space serves as a platform for curated archive artifacts exhibitions.
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What Exactly is the Art Museum in Modern Times?The pyramidal section contains the Arhcive Block, housing the art collections spanning from level 2 to level 5. The artifacts are grouped according to their materials and special needs, rather than by their museum so that all required climatic conditions can be achieved. The levels are thus divided into 4 sections: Composite Materials and large-scale art objects; Earthenware, Metal Works, Glass & Jade, and Stoneworks; Woodworks, Paper works, Calligraphy, and Ivory/Bone works; and Textiles Paintings and Media Arts. As the vertical circulation, art handling, and technical systems are grouped in a functional spine on the south side of the building, the rest of the floorplates remain flexible and adaptable to the different curatorial concepts.
The gap at the sixth floor opens panoramic views in all directions, while the restaurant offers visitors an opportunity to pause. A long atrium also allows for visual connections with the art conservation workshops above. The project also strives to achieve carbon neutrality through a strategy that centers around five key impact areas. The structure prioritizes high recycled content concrete, passive strategies such as limited window opening and careful insulation reduce energy consumption, while a geothermal heat pump provides a sustainable energy source. Additionally, photovoltaic elements will generate electricity, and rainwater will be collected and utilized throughout the building.
The Open Art Storage represents a relatively new architectural program, with one of the first renditions represented by MVRDV’s Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The facility, built to house the archive of the Municipal Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the facility proposes a new type of experience, welcoming visitors to enter the deposit and explore the collection by peeking into the storage areas and preservation workshops.
