G.Lab*, a department of Gansam Partners in Seoul, was awarded first prize for their design of a Navy Museum in Korea. The design reflects “the turbulent history of the Korean Navy and the unwavering spirit of the men and women who serve this branch.” Inspired by the unpredictability of the ocean, G.Lab*’s form for the museum is an undulating mass that folds. On the interior, the volume creates a circulation path which weaves and intersects in multiple spaces.
More images and more about the museum after the break.
The museum leads visitors through several exhibition halls before they are revealed to an observation deck, overlooking the ROK Patrol Boat Chamsuri 357, (the boat that a North Korean patrol boat surprise attacked on June 29, 2002). Since the incident happened in the midst of the 2002 World Cup, the deaths of the 6 seamen aboard the Chamsuri 357 and the 18 wounded did not garner much media coverage. G.Lab* decided to memorialize this event and to externalize it.
“The design immortalizes the brave crew members by taking on the image of the ocean waves- the only witness to the battle. The Patrol Boat is oriented facing the North and inland, the memorial placed behind it, followed by the Sea. The memorial is an eternal wave propelling the patrol boat onward to the North, allowing the Chamsuri 357 to continue the fight which had come to her. The Memorial and supporting landscape design act to simulate an environment in which the Patrol Boat is still Sea-worthy and engaged in battle,” explained the architects.
ROK Navy Memorial Museum
Architect: G.Lab* by Gansam Partners Location: Pyongtaek, South Korea Client: Republic of Korea Navy Project Architect: Chuloh Jung
Design team: Youn-Sook Hwang, Sang-Hyun Son, Kyung-Mi Ahn, Namjoo Kim. Project area: 11,000 sqm Competition Year: 2009 Construction Year: 2010 Status: Construction Document Phase
