UNStudio has designed a museum composed of immersive spheres in South Korea. Called the Challenge Museum, the building's massing and general site approach contrasts with urban conditions to provide restful and flexible outdoor spaces that encourage community engagement. The proposal was made to create a participatory experience for visitors where exhibition and architecture blend with nature.
As the team states, the Challenge Museum was designed with a compulsory two minute walk through farmland, forming an approach to the museum that creates a grounded, organic experience for visitors, allowing them to feel connected with the earth. The building's program is distributed over three floor levels. At the entrance to the building, visitors are guided towards an introductory space and then onward towards the exhibition floors. The ground floor has a focus on educational and public programs. It has a porous design approach, with a porous facade that connects with the outdoor farm. The exhibition continues through to the second floor, with open views on the surrounding landscape, with the main body of the exhibition located on the third floor. Finally, the roof terrace connects the visitors again to the outdoors.
The museum unfolds itself above and below the visitor through a sequence of immersive Marine and Celestial spheres. These spheres overlap with one another throughout the museum, allowing users to explore the skies above them and the sea below through storytelling. The museum provides a singular place for people to reflect on their own interests and talents. The designers hope that the design will encourage visitors to imagine how they might step back out in the surrounding gardens and the wider world to create a meaningful positive impact.
Team: Ben van Berkel with Arjan Dingste and Juergen Heinzel, Ergin Birinci, Bogdan Chipara, UNSFutures - Ren Yee, Alice Haugh
Advisors:
Exhibition Designer: Tellart Amsterdam
Cost Consultant: Turner & Townsend
Visualisations: UNStudio, Plomp
Diagrams: UNStudio, Tellart
News via UNStudio
