An art centre designed by Swiss architect Herzog & de Meuron has been completed in Seoul, is will open to the public in September.
The gallery, for ST international and the Songeun Art & Culture Foundation, pays homage to architectural motifs while retaining a connection to its local culture and environment.
The concrete fa̤ade is textured with rotated wooden boards Рa reference to "SongEun", which means "hidden pine tree".
The 8,000 sq m development has 11 floors above ground and five beneath, with the upper floors containing office space joined by a long window.
The gallery will hold two exhibitions this year. The first, curated by Herzog & de Meuron itself, will open on 28 September, and will be followed by the 21st edition of the SongEun ArtAward on 10 December.
Herzog & de Meuron commented: "Our experience designing contemporary art museums has increasingly focused on how we can bring art and people together. How can we make a space that works for the art and the artist, for the collector and the public? Many different needs have to be factored in to make a whole that works for everyone. Only then can such a place become a new attractor for urban life in a city."
Images courtesy of Jihyun Jung/Herzog & de Meuron
