Korean National Folk Museum
Cultural · Sejong, KR
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION
The New National Folk Museum of Korea redefines museum boundaries with a proposal to democratize the museum experience.
Designed as a circular, single-story building with a transparent and permeable exterior, it fosters seamless connections between indoor
and outdoor spaces. Intuitive pathways, flexible layouts, and multiple access points ensure accessibility for visitors of all backgrounds.
Natural light enhances the connection to nature, creating a space where history, art, and community converge. This inclusive and
new museographic model invites visitors to engage with art and its preservation within a unified and interconnected environment.
The project responds to the site’s layout and dual accesses, programmatic organization, circulation logistics, user experience, and integration with the natural and built environment through six key aspects. These strategies guide the museum’s design and define its identity and functionality:
1. Vehicular & Pedestrian Site Access. The site features two main access points: one via Geumgan Bridge for parking and deliveries, and another extending the pedestrian canopy from the National Museum Complex, ensuring smooth integration of public and private transportation.
2. Pedestrian Pathways & Service Corridor. Two pathways structure circulation: the east-west “Museum Street” connects parking to the museum, while the north-south “Campus Connection Corridor” links to the National Museum Complex. A service corridor ensures efficient connectivity between exhibition and support areas.
3. Site Conditioned Program Areas. The site is divided into three zones: Area A for arrivals, Area B for indoor programs, and Area C for outdoor programs, ensuring smooth transitions and optimizing visitor flow.
4. Museum Program Strategy. The museum is organized into educational, exhibition, and support zones, with education spaces facing the river and support zones positioned for functionality, integrating interior and exterior experiences.
5. Views and Site Polarity. The design maximizes southwest river views for visitors while placing back-of-house operations in the northeast, balancing public and private functions effectively.
6. Project Enclosure Approach. A circular, transparent enclosure defines conditioned and non-conditioned spaces, ensuring visual unity, seamless interior-exterior connections, and adaptability for future needs.
The museum’s typology reflects a balance between functional independence and spatial integration. Although the museum consists of distinct programs that require separate accesses and circulations, the design responds to the site’s needs with a compact building intersected by two public pathways: the east-west “Museum Street” and the north-south “Campus Connection Corridor”. These pathways integrate the interior programs, ensuring seamless connections, efficient functionality, and a cohesive visitor experience.
The landscape design follows two strategies: organizing the site into three east-west programmatic bands—educational, exhibition, and support zones—that align with the site’s orientation to optimize functionality, and overlaying these bands with an organic, natural landscape that integrates the museum with native vegetation. This approach connects the built environment with the natural setting, blending architecture and landscape to enhance the visitor experience and harmonize with the ecological context.
In contrast to the imposing, often intimidating structures of traditional museums, which can exude an aura of exclusivity creating both physical and psychological barriers for visitors, the NFMK redefines cultural spaces by democratizing the museum experience. It is designed to be an open, inclusive environment that welcomes visitors of all backgrounds, fostering a sense of belonging and engagement. By dismantling barriers to entry, the museum makes culture and history more accessible, ensuring a welcoming, non-intimidating space that encourages interaction with its exhibits, programs, and educational offerings.
(a) Intuitive Pathways. Pathways like “Museum Street” and the “Campus Connection Corridor” provide clear circulation and serve as visual landmarks. These routes ensure everyone, including individuals with mobility needs, can fully engage with the museum’s offerings.
(b) Visitor Circulation Flexibility. Flexible layouts offer multiple route options for short or long tours and provide direct connections between exhibits and educational programs. This design allows visitors to explore at their own pace and accommodates diverse schedules.
(c) Multiple Access Points. The museum includes a variety of entry points, all logically connected to main pathways. These clearly marked entries and exits make the space intuitive and easy to navigate.
(d) Instinctive Signage and Wayfinding. Universal, multilingual signage seamlessly integrated into the architecture ensures visitors can easily navigate their journey. This approach provides a cohesive and accessible experience for all audiences.
The circular form factor aligns with the museum’s inclusive mission for the following reasons:
(a) Non hierarchical design: A circular form factor eschews the hierarchical and segmented nature of more traditional, rectangular forms, instead promoting a sense of equality and unity. The building presents itself with no “corners” and there is no such thing as “front” and “back”.
(b) Efficiency. A circular enclosure allows efficient use of space, maximizing the museum’s footprint. Strategically placed skylights and large glass panels above circulation galleries ensure natural light penetration, keeping the museum bright and connected to the outdoors, reinforcing its connection to nature.
(c) Connectivity. The permeability of the exterior wall and its circular design ensure that the building doesn’t isolate itself from its environment. Visitors are able to enjoy the views of the outdoors from almost every angle, creating a serene and inviting atmosphere that underscores the museum’s commitment to inclusivity and well-being.
(d) Inclusivity. Creating a continuous, circular membrane, the building supports the idea that all parts of the museum are equally important and accessible. Moreover, the absence of corners promotes continuous flow reinforcing the idea that the museum is an interconnected environment where everyone has an equal place.
The NFMK’s single-story layout is another core element that supports accessibility and the movement of people. The single-story design ensures a smooth, unimpeded flow throughout the space promoting a sense of ease and freedom as visitors navigate the museum, making it easier for everyone to enjoy their experience without obstacles.
Beyond accessibility, this single-story design fosters a sense of unity and fluidity. Visitors are not confined to discrete, segmented galleries; instead, they are able to move seamlessly from one exhibit to another, facilitating a continuous and immersive experience. The proximity between the exhibition and education programs, organized through “Museum Street” encourages exploration and interaction, making the museum a dynamic space where people can wander, pause, and connect with both the exhibits and each other. The design encourages a sense of shared space that contrasts with the compartmentalized and hierarchical layouts of more traditional institutions.
1. Traditional Museum Layout
Traditional museums often follow a rigid, linear design, guiding visitors through sequential rooms with limited flexibility or choice. This approach creates a constrained experience, where visitors follow a predetermined path to view collections. Such layouts can feel unengaging, offering little room for exploration or adaptation, resulting in a less intuitive and accessible visit.
2. Proposed Museum Strategy and User Experience
The proposed layout for the New Museum redefines the visitor experience as a democratic journey through interconnected spaces. At its core is “Museum Street,” a central lobby linking all programs and exhibition rooms, allowing users to freely navigate their visit. This design fosters flexibility and contrasts with traditional models, reflecting the museum’s mission to connect folklore with Korean history and society in an inclusive and meaningful way.
The design emphasizes permeability and transparency through an exterior wall that incorporates large glass panels and multiple entry points creating a visual and functional connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces. This visual and physical permeability ensures that the museum is more than just an enclosed building; it becomes a bridge to the surrounding community and nature. The open design allows visitors to view outdoor programs and events
from within the museum, fostering a sense of transparency and inclusivity. It also allows those outside the museum to see inside, inviting curiosity and encouraging passersby to engage. Whether someone is observing a community performance through a glass panel or participating in an outdoor art workshop, the permeability creates opportunities for engagement that go beyond the building’s walls.
Project Team
- Luis Collado
- Jose Luis de la Fuente
- Ignacio Espigares
- Inés Fernández
- Brian Koehler
- Álvaro Mesquida
- Zach Michaliska
- Gonzalo Rojas
- Miguel Ruiz-Rivas
- Yinghao Zhang
