Awe-inspiring Gyeongju Arts Center, South Korea

International architectural practice Samoo Architects & Engineers  designed the Gyeongju Arts Center in 2010. The five-storey contemporary arts building can be found in Gyeongju, South Korea.

According to the architects: “The design intent for this Performing Arts Center is to provide a dynamic new icon to symbolise the ancient city of Gyeongju, which used to be the capital of ancient Kingdom of Shilla.

“To accomplish this goal the design team capitalised on simple traditional beauty while still implying a new future vision. The curved mass in the front, which contains an exhibition space, is a modern reinterpretation of the smooth and elegant roofline in traditional architecture. Also, this reminds the gentle curve of royal tombs of Shilla dynasty. The exhibition mass is covered with white porcelain tiles and gives strong contrast to the transparent glass wall that surrounds it. The tiles are designed to express the intentional hair cracks on the surface of earthen wares that is commonly found in the beautiful Korean ceramics of the previous dynasties. The lower portion of the building contains an exhibition/performance space while the upper portions contain uses for education/experience and welfare. This clear zoning allows independent circulation system and management of the facilities.An open and pleasant ambience is achieved by the combination of natural light through the skylight and ample ceiling heights.”

Images courtesy of Young Chae Park and Young Chul Shin

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