Sorol Art Museum,
design: Meier Partners
The Sorol Art Museum, designed by architectural studio Meier Partners, opened its doors in January this year. The building is located in Gangneung, South Korea - a city about 160 kilometers east of Seoul, on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The museum gets its name from the term for the historic area "Sorol," which means "village full of pine trees" in Korean.
Sorol Art Museum - main entrance and glass lobby pavilion
© Roland Halbe
contemporary art museum
In the heart of Gangneung
The building is an integral part of the Gyo-Dong 7 public park, located in the heart of Gangneung, one of Korea's most beautiful regions. The architects took advantage of the undulating topography of the terrain, placing the museum on the highest plateau, providing visitors with panoramic views of the surrounding nature.
Sorol art museum - site plan
© Meier Partners
a modern institution
in a traditional context
The museum's space is centered around a courtyard, reflecting Meier Partners' inspiration from traditional Korean architecture. The complex consists of three volumes: a northern protruding wing, a "cube" housing the museum's offices and exhibition spaces, and a glazed pavilion between them, which houses the main entrance, lobby and café.
Sorol Art Museum - aerial view of the building and the city of Gangneung
© Roland Halbe
This layout of the building forms a T-shape, allowing visitors to move freely between floors and interact with the gardens and pond outside.
Sorol Art Museum - a view of the block that "floats" above the pool
© Roland Halbe
The building is distinguished by its gleaming white facades, numerous glazings and distinctive long ramp, which is reminiscent of Le Corbusier's Craft Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During construction, white exposed concrete, aluminum curtain wall, composite panels, glass and stone were used.
Sorol Art Museum - outdoor ramp leading to the main exhibition space
© Roland Halbe
The concept for the Sorol Museum was to create a calm and simple, yet memorable space that presents a harmonious combination of art, architecture and nature.
- Sharon Oh, architect and project manager, comments.
Sorol Art Museum - south elevation
© Meier Partners
flexible exhibition spaces
At the Sorol Art Museum, Meier Partners combined intimate, neutral exhibition spaces with open circulation areas, where natural light and views of greenery create a harmonious dialogue between interior and landscape.
Sorol Art Museum - a bridge overlooking the museum cafe
© Roland Halbe
A skylight in the main exhibition space provides a flow of diffused daylight, and numerous glass windows offer views of the park while leaving enough wall space for displays. Each exhibition at the museum offers curators a variety of layout options, tailored to the specific themes presented.
Sorol Art Museum - the main exhibition space with a skylight in the roof
© Roland Halbe
reference to Confucianism:
Minimalist aesthetics and closeness to nature
The inspiration of Confucianism in the Sorol Art Museum's design is evident in the building's harmonious integration into the landscape and minimalist aesthetics. The large glazing and layout around the central courtyard allude to balance and closeness to nature, while the introverted galleries and open corridors complement each other, creating an atmosphere of concentration that encourages quiet contemplation of art.
Sorol Art Museum - museum café located in the entrance pavilion
© Roland Halbe
For its first exhibition, the Sorol Art Museum presented the works of Lucio Fontana alongside those of Korean artist Quac Insik. It also recently opened Korea's first exhibition of North American artist Agnes Martin, whose explorations of pure abstraction were deeply inspired by Zen Buddhism and Taoism. These exhibitions fostered an engaging dialogue with the museum's overall design vision, inspired by Korea's Confucian heritage, expressed in simplicity of form, materials and composition, and promoting a harmonious relationship with nature.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of Archermit studio.
