OBJECT TERRITORIES

OVERLAPPING HISTORIES
Seoul, South Korea

Project
Archaeological Museum

Client
The City of Seoul

Size
1,300 sqm / 14,000 sqft

Collaborators
TPL Architects, HW A&C, Silman, Ramboll, Studio Yup

CONCEPT

OVERLAPPING HISTORIES is an armature that reveals and juxtaposes the overlapping layers of history at the former site of the Uijeongbu (Joseon Era city offices) in Seoul. The route through the site and building encourages a visual dialogue between past and present, engaging visitors in the site and its surroundings.  The plan choreographs their movement and focuses them on specific sections of the structural remnants. These moments are juxtaposed with periodic openings to the modern surroundings and Gyeongbokgung Palace. The entire building is suspended above the site on a lightweight, modular, and demountable steel structure, allowing complete access to the ruins and the potential for further study, exploration, and restoration during building operation. A lightweight canopy shelters the Jeongbondang and Hyeopseondang and frames views of Gyeongbokgung Palace from its balcony and the gallery beyond. The steel structural frame of the building is clad in a lightweight translucent polycarbonate skin and glazing, furthering the dialogue between building methods past and present. At night, the translucent envelope and canopy will be lit with a soft glow as a luminous counterpoint to the Gyeongbokgung Palace while illuminating the archaeological remnants below. A long balcony overlooks the former gazebo which has been reconstructed in glass bricks - giving a clear but also ambiguous impression of what existed in the past. The gazebo overlooks a modern reconstructed pond offset within the outline of the remnants of the former pond. The entire site is considered a “park” open 24 hours a day - both an archaeological park and a public park for the surrounding community.