Seoul’s Audeum Audio Museum wins Special Prize at Prix Versailles
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s design has been recognised in the World’s Most Beautiful Museums category at the global architecture & design competition
The Prix Versailles, the world’s leading architecture and design competition held in collaboration with UNESCO, announced its latest winners earlier this month at a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
The awards recognise exceptional achievements across a range of categories, including the World’s Most Beautiful buildings, honouring structures such as airports, museums, and hotels.
Among this year’s winners, Seoul’s Audeum Audio Museum stood out for its meticulously crafted interiors by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
The project received the Special Prize for an Interior in the World’s Most Beautiful Museums category, adding to Kuma’s extensive portfolio of more than 70 museums and cultural institutions worldwide.
The museum was commissioned by Chung Mong-jin, chairman of construction materials firm KCC, as a tribute to his father—an acoustician and the founder of Silbatone Acoustics.
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Located in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district, the Audeum Audio Museum houses an extensive collection of sound equipment dating from the 19th century to the present day. Highlights include rare artefacts such as an Edison phonograph and a Western Electric loudspeaker.
A significant portion of the exhibition comes from Chung's personal collection of rare sound equipment, amassed over several decades.
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The museum features seven floors and features a cascading vertical exterior made of aluminium pipes mimicking the wilderness of a forest. Inside, Kuma’s design slowly introduces visitors through a multi-sensory experience, enhanced by the views of the Cheonggyesan Mountains.
Reflecting on the project, Kuma explains: “It is very rare to come across a museum specialising in audio. This museum required a unique space that does not exist in traditional museums. The building is designed for visitors to experience texture, light, wind and scent as a cohesive whole that cannot be experienced in a visual art museum.”
The Audeum Audio Museum is open to the public with free admission.
Via: The Korea Herald
Daniela Solano is a freelance writer for Mixmag Asia, follow her on Instagram here.
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