H&dM Wins Competition for Seoripul Open Storage

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The City of Seoul announced that Herzog & de Meuron has won of the Seoripul Open Storage competition. The new institution will house artworks and artifacts of three major museums in Seoul: the Seoul Museum of Modern Art, the Seoul Museum of History, and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art.

The competition, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan government, engaged seven architectural firms and a panel of expert judges. Approximately 850 citizens attended the final presentations.

Our concept is rooted in a clear understanding of the typology of an art storage building, learning from the Schaulager in Basel. This project stands as evidence of our strong track record and expertise in art and public spaces, marking another milestone for our growing presence in South Korea.

“What is an open storage? Or better, what is not an open storage? An open storage is not a museum, not a shopping mall, nor a fun palace, where there is a mass movement of people. It is a different kind of institution and therefore also needs a different kind of architecture. An open storage is a place where knowledge and culture exist in a very condensed form. Rather than fully expose everything like cigars in a humidor or trophy wines in a liquor store, they are places which should be enigmatic, mysterious, and raise curiosity.”

-Jacques Herzog

Links

City of Seoul Announcement
Competition Presentation