3XN has just won an international competition, which they were invited to participate in, to design the Chungnam Art Center in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. Designed in collaboration with SIAPLAN and MDA, the new art center aims to serve as a key destination for creative expression. Drawing inspiration from the dynamic movements of art, the center seeks to create a space where everyone can both experience and participate in the arts.
The Chungnam Art Center design draws inspiration from simple forms in the arts and performance fields, such as the wave of a conductor’s baton or the arc of a dancer’s foot. The critical elements of the design, including the halls, the lobby, and the fly tower, are clustered together. Additionally, the roof’s curves accommodate varying heights depending on the program within each space. The scalloped timber cladding around the exterior creates inviting niches for seating and program spaces along the lobby’s periphery, which remains open and offers visual access to the green spaces and plazas outside.
Situated between Naepo New Town and the Yongbongsan Mountains, the art center site is a significant part of a larger park landscape, including a library and art museum. The building’s orientation aims to maximize connections with its urban and natural surroundings, offering views and welcoming visitors from all angles.
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Thomas Heatherwick Selected to Curate the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2025Performance facilities have a high level of complexity, but it is important that users – whether they are visitors or performers – do not feel this complexity. The floor plans and circulation are clear and straightforward, the halls are designed to the highest acoustic standards and lines of sight, and there are spaces throughout the art center that accommodate both large gatherings and day-to-day support and community functions. —Fred Holt, Partner and Director of 3XN Australia
Emphasizing simplicity in the user experience, the layout aims to be “clear, with halls designed to the highest acoustic standards, accommodating both large gatherings and daily community functions.” Prioritizing sustainability and integrating strategies for biodiversity, human well-being, and resilient architecture, the building aims to enhance the site’s natural qualities. Aiming to provide a space that is accessible and inclusive, the building boasts the use of natural materials, biophilic design elements, and the integration of photovoltaics and rainwater harvesting systems.
Aiming to be completed by 2028/2029, this project will be 3XN GXN’s first project in South Korea. In other similar news, the Copenhagen-based studio has recently received the green light for their design of the new Migration Museum in Southeast London. Engaged in cultural architecture, the studio recently won commissions for the new design of a Center for Coastal Nature and Sport Fishing in Assens, Denmark. Finally, 3XN has recently completed the Gognon exhibition space dedicated to the history of digital technologies in Belgium.
