NATIONAL ARCHIVE MUSEUM

Living Records: The Multidimensional Role of the National Archives Museum

The National Archives Museum is not merely a repository of records but a spatial platform where records are created, shared, and interpreted. Records are not just static collections of past information; they are dynamically reinterpreted within historical and social contexts. Just as Walter Benjamin's nonlinear view of history suggests, records are not simply objects of preservation but cultural assets that connect the past, present, and future.

The National Archives Museum: A Period and a Comma in the Master Plan

The National Archives Museum is not merely an independent structure; it serves as an architectural nexus within the spatial network of the National Museum Complex. Rather than existing in isolation, it must integrate seamlessly with the broader master plan, functioning as a key element in the interconnected museum district. Although positioned at the edge of the museum complex, the Archives Museum is not just an endpoint but a starting point for the expansion of archival culture. It acts as both a period, marking a culmination, and a comma, allowing continuity, ensuring that records are not just preserved but actively engaged with, interpreted, and disseminated.

As the Track of Records and the Vessel of Everyday Life

The National Archives Museum is designed as a space where preservation and openness coexist, serving as an interface where archived records intersect with public experience. Its spatial concept is structured around a “floating track (궤)” that holds records and a “vessel (함)” that embraces and connects it to everyday life.

Year : 2025

Location : Sejong, Korea

Size : 11,798.87 m²

Phase : Competition Entry

Type : Museum and Archives

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Dongil Kim (I.f.CDL)

Design Team :

Hyunjoo Kang (I.f), Seungil Kim, Gwangeun Hwang, Soohyun Im, Roun Yi, Hyungtae Kim, Bugun Kim, Isaac Kang (I.f.CDL)

JINJU NATIONAL MUSEUM

The National Jinju Museum is embarking on a significant transformation, moving from its iconic location within Jinju Castle to a new cultural park situated between the city center and the urban area near the old Jinju Station. The aim is to reposition itself as a focal point for the citizens of Jinju. In this endeavor, we propose the creation of an open, circular museum that seamlessly blends the daily lives of citizens with the museum’s commemorative essence.It begins with the concept of the museum as an exceptional lobby, one that interfaces directly with the linear park that adjoins the urban core. The revitalized area, once divided by railway tracks, is transformed into a park where Jinju citizens can engage with the city’s history and culture during their daily routines. The circular design encompasses flexible exhibition, educational, cultural, and leisure spaces that directly connect to both the city street and the park, allowing people to encounter Jinju’s history and culture as they commute to school or work.

This circular space, serving as an extension of civic life, is situated adjacent to the Welcome Center, which becomes the bridge between the expanded museum and the civic space. By inserting a framework that physically and spatially supports both spaces, we enhance accessibility for the citizens, fostering a stronger connection between the museum and their daily lives. Our proposal is driven by the idea that the museum’s role extends beyond commemorating history; it should be an integral part of daily existence. The open, circular design encourages citizens to engage with the museum’s unique experiences as they go about their daily routines. This transformative approach seeks to seamlessly integrate the museum’s commemorative aspect with the everyday lives of Jinju citizens, making history and culture accessible to all.

Year: 2023

Location : Jinju, Korea

Size : 33,234 ㎡

Status : Competition Entry

Type : Museum

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Allie Yeseul Chung (I.f Manila), Dongil Kim (Kyung Hee University), Minho Lee (func. Architects)

Design Team : Seungil Kim, Junyoung Park (I.f)

INCHEON GEOMDAN CULTURAL COMPLEX

The Site is a Corner condition placed between the dense residential complexes to one side, and the Neighborhood Parks 13 and 15 to the other side. In the large scale, the Cultural Complex will be an extension of the U-shaped thread of Neighborhood Parks and especially the Lake in No.3 Cultural Park. However, in responding to the two distinctive zoning conditions, the Museum•Library Cultural Complex will produce a gradient of spaces in order to merge and take advantage of the two physical conditions the New City zonal plan offers. In response to the dense City edge, a homogeneous and hard form will emerge by organizing the volumes in an “L” composition. As one enters deeper into the Complex and closer to the edge adjacent to the Park and the Lake, the volumes disperse and the singular form breaks to provide a more intricate conglomeration of volumes, walkways, as well as interior and exteiror conditions. This seamless transition of spatial composition will allow a smoother transition of the cityscape.

To Geomdan New City, the Museum•Library Cultural Complex becomes a landmark because of its seamless integration as a place for the Everyday Life activities to unfold. It is a sacred place only because of its flexibility to accommodate any and all Everyday Events of the Everyday People of the New City. The form is simple, weighted, and informed by the Go-in-dol. The horizontal overlays of spaces and spatial groupings allows for the act of gathering and spreading of programs but mainly of people. The physical boundaries between the programmatic volumes are less defined as it merges and divides seamlessly from one to the other. The in-between spaces that are mostly walkways of varying thickneses; sometimes lobbies; sometimes open spaces for different programs, all serve to break the rigidity and hardness of the Complex. Instead, the layered composition allows for fluid movement within and throughout and beyond the Cultrual Complex.

Year: 2024

Location : Incheon, Korea

Size : 27,377 sqm

Construction Cost : Incheon-si

Year : 2023

Status : Competition Entry

Type : Museum, Library

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Allie Yeseul Chung (I.f Manila), Dongil Kim (Kyung Hee University), Minho Lee (func. Architects)

Environmental Engineering : Dongil Kim