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Modernist Discipline: Kansong Art Museum Daegu | Choi Moongyu + Ga.A Architects

Choi Moongyu + Ga.A Architects

written by
Choi Moongyu
photographed by
Namgoong Sun
materials provided by
Ga.A Architects
edited by
Bang Yukyung
background

SPACE September 2026 (No. 706)

 

 

 

 

A Building Rooted in the Land
As the Kansong Art Museum Daegu is a place dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the collection of Kansong Chun Hyungpil, who devoted his life to safeguarding Korean cultural heritage, the design took the land and its history as its starting point. The form of the site and the surrounding vegetation were carefully studied to determine where the building should sit, and only as much land as necessary was occupied so that the museum could settle naturally into its surroundings. Arranging the building into terraces along the site¡¯s multiple levels, while minimising disturbance to the existing topography, follows a long-standing approach of traditional architecture adapting itself to the land. As a result, the building does not feel imposing relative to its floor area. The varied outdoor spaces created across the multiple terraces shaped by the terrain extend naturally into the surrounding landscape. Following this arrangement, a cyclical route descends from the highest entrance through the interior to the lower part of the site before rising again, allowing visitors to e...
 
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Architect

Choi Moongyu (Yonsei University) + Ga.A Architects (Koh Daegon)

Design team

Song Bongki, Roh Jinwoo, Min Kyung, Woo Sanghwa, Jeon Yoojin, Kim Hyungsuk, Seo Hyunmin, Mun Juhui, Jeong Changhwa

Location

70, Misulgwan-ro, Suseong-gu, Daegu, Korea

Programme

cultural and assembly facility (art museum)

Site area

150,906§³ (total park area))

Building area

3,886.44§³

Gross floor area

8,003.87§³

Building scope

B1, 3F

Parking

77

Height

18.28m

Building to land ratio

2.58%

Floor area ratio

4.05%

Structure

RC

Exterior finishing

traditional brick, granite stone, exposed concrete

Interior finishing

traditional brick, granite stone, exposed concrete

Structural engineer

EUN Structure Engineers Co.,Ltd.

Mechanical and electrical engineer

HIMEC Company Co., Ltd.

Construction

TNG Construction Co., Ltd.

Design period

May 2020–Mar. 2022

Construction period

Mar. 2022–Apr. 2024

Client

Daegu Metropolitan City

Landscape design

ISU Professional Engineer Office


Choi Moongyu
Choi Moongyu obtained B. Arch and Master of Engineering from Yonsei University, and Master of Architecture from Columbia University. Having worked in Toyo Ito Architects and Hanul Architects, he founded Ga.A Architects in 1999. Till August 2026 he was a Professor of Architectural Engineering at Yonsei University.

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