SPACE March 2026 (No. 700)
Winning proposal of International Invited Design Competition for the Chungju Museum of Art ©UIA
International Invited Design Competition for the Chungju Museum of Art
On Dec. 22, 2025, UIA (Principal, Wee Jinbok) was selected as the final winner of the International Invited Design Competition for the Chungju Museum of Art, to be built within Hoamji Ecological Park in Chungju City. Three overseas teams – Kengo Kuma and Associates (Principal, Kuma Kengo) from Japan, Aires Mateus (Co-Principals, Manuel Aires Mateus, Francisco Aires Mateus) from Portugal, and Steven Holl Architects (Principal, Steven Holl) from the U.S. – participated alongside three domestic teams: UIA, Hyunjoon Yoo + Partners (Co-Principals, Hyunjoon Yoo, Jiyoung Jon), and SKM Architects (Principal, Ken Sungjin Min).
The jury stated that the evaluation process was comprehensive and considered ‘the characteristics and conditions of the site facing Hoamji Lake, the fundamental functions and expandability required of a public art museum, building placement, the rationality and efficiency of interior spaces, tectonic coherence, energy-efficiency strategies, and feasibility’.
The winning scheme features a simple geometric form and a clear structural system. It presents a prototypical contemporary urban art museum by stacking four exhibition halls of varying sizes and light conditions in a three-dimensional composition and merging them together to form a single ‘viewing platform’. The rectangular exhibition hall, with a ceiling height reaching 15.6m, is perceived from multiple levels along the visitor circulation route and provides a space capable of accommodating diverse exhibition formats, including large-scale installation art and media art, even on the regional level.
Regarding the project’s structural and programmatic strategies, Wee explained, ‘By employing megatrusses, we secured long-span exhibition spaces while connecting various galleries through a three-dimensional circulation system’, adding that ‘the complete separation of visitor circulation and service areas allows any exhibition hall to undergo planning and construction while others remain in operation.’ The Chungju Museum of Art is scheduled to be constructed with a total budget of 39.6 billion KRW, with a gross floor area of 4,910m2.
