................................................................

KOREAN MUSEUM OF ART AND
CULTURAL CENTER

The intent of this competition was to address issues of identity for a strong immigrant community now living in a new urban culture. Planned for Koreatown in Los Angeles, the facility is to serve as both a social and cultural center for the local Korean population while internationally projecting an image of pride and achievement. The design recreates a fragment of a traditional Korean temple compound; where gardens provide the setting for a temple-like main building. This primary structure includes exhibit areas for both permanent and temporary collections, studios and a 600 seat performance hall. A 200 seat lecture hall, library, archives, and parking for 240 cars form a base for the gardens. Administration offices and the entry, gift shop and cafe wrap the main building and gardens, forming a street front on the commercial boulevard in a more modern Los Angeles vernacular. Sectionally, the scheme excavates the site to not only accommodate the large 216,000 square foot program but also to conceptually root the institution and Korean culture into the place of this community. The sloped glazed galleries and studios at the top of the building illuminate the spaces with daylight; providing a place in the sky to reaffirm its connection and potential cultural contribution to the “new city."

00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06