INCHEON MUSEUM PARK
Incheon, Korea, 2022
Location: Incheon, Korea
Total Floor Area: 42,089 sqm / Site Area: 41,170 sqm
Program: Permanent exhibition halls showcasing historical artifacts, curated art galleries of varying sizes, educational facilities, auditoriums, a cafeteria, community spaces, offices, and a spacious open area spanning the entire facility
Client: City of Incheon
CITIZEN’S AGORA
As daily life becomes more global, museums are recognizing that being local is increasingly valued. We have focused more on the value that a museum has as a 'place.' A place is more than just an address, geography, weather, or historical markers. It is something that we directly feel intensely through our senses, experiences, and emotions and cannot be replaced by anything else. We pondered how the new museum to be built in Incheon can distinguish itself with unique features, tell stories in new ways, and deeply root itself in the community, and we believe this begins with the power of place.
The core of the new museum park is to serve as a focal point where all the people in the region can gather. It should be the first place that comes to mind when people want to spend their leisure time, bring friends from the suburbs, or gather to celebrate. We aim to create a "Agora" for the citizens, a place where people gather, inquire about each other's well-being, and have unique experiences, spending a special day when they come together.
The Big Podium
The Problem given to us was to find a way to organically connect the three independent buildings, The existing OCI Factory Office, Municipal Museum, and Art Museum, with continuity while maintaining their unique identities. We solved this architecturally by penetrating the elongated Big Podium so that all three buildings are in contact. The Big Podium is large enough to allow direct access to multiple levels of the building, contains common programs, and serves as an index throughout the facility. Hugeness itself has symbolism and provides the volume to hold urban events.
Visitor Engagement Area
We have been looking for ways for museums to plan and work with their audiences. The Visitor Engagement Area, we call this as VEA in the project, is a physical area where these activities take place, and is located around each main program area. For exhibition programs, citizens’ insights can be invited, ideas can be crowdsourced, and projects can be co-curated with visitors. In addition to enriching the museum experience, visitor comments add new voices, broaden perspectives, increase relevance, share empowerment, and broaden museum ownership. In the case of artwork, by providing a maker space equipped with high technology, it provides access to a variety of materials and tools, along with prepared staff. Visitors of a wider range of ages, from children to adults, can participate in making programs of various courses, such as material exploration, design, and architecture.
