Ho-Am Museum of Art Placemaking

The Ho-Am Art Museum, located just 24 miles south of Seoul, is home to more than 100 national treasures. Founded in the spring of 1982 by Byung-Chul Lee, founder of Samsung Group, the exhibition is comprised from more than three decades of accumulation of traditional Korean artifacts in Lee’s private collection. To better showcase the artifacts, a ‘Hee-Won’ (a type of traditional Korean garden) was added to the museum and re-launched in 1997 as both a museum and a park. In this way, Ho-Am not only preserves traditional artifacts for generations to come, but  provides the traditional setting as well. The 710,000+ sq. ft. garden provides a tranquil atmosphere for rest, contemplation and healing away from the chaos of city life. The ‘Hee-Won’ was designed around the traditional and ancient Korean design philosophy of Cha-Kyung, a traditional landscaping method that creates harmony and balance between the built environment and the surrounding natural environment that includes the natural environment for as far as the eye can see in every direction. The overwhelming, yet subtle beauty of this intricate design philosophy creates layers of scenery that flexes and transforms as you move through it. However, the existing signage detracted from the intention to preserve and showcase ‘Cha-Kyung’ and ultimately impeded on the tranquility of the garden.

Design Team

Jang Won Ahn, Dong Chan Seo, Sung Woong Cho, Joon Young Woo

Project Area

710,000 sq ft

Fabricators

Unique Works