SOUR Studio and Seoinn Design Group have won 4th prize in the international design competition for the Geomdan Museum Library Cultural Complex in Incheon, South Korea. The competition received 75 entries from all around the world, and SOUR was selected among the Final 5 to present their proposal to the international jury. The design team’s proposal aims to shift the paradigm in landmark architecture, where energy endurance and climate resiliency should be the driving factors in form-making and design criteria.
The proposed cultural landmark will house a futuristic library and indoor-outdoor museum, becoming Geomdan’s new Archeology Park. The design follows sustainability measures and environmentally responsible design to create a place where nature and people can thrive and explore. The project’s ambition is to re-evaluate priorities and methods in the generation of signature architecture, addressing issues around energy usage, material waste, supply chain inefficiencies, and carbon footprint.
Inanc Eray, Partner and Creative Director at SOUR, stated that architects need to use low-tech strategies to rediscover sustainable landmark architecture. Eray further explained that energy-intensive technologies and high-cost construction methods need to be replaced with scalable solutions in the built environment. Eray hopes that a landmark project such as the Geomdan Museum Library Cultural Complex represents an opportunity to reform landmark aesthetics to be informed by climate resilience and to generate truly sustainable architecture.
The new Geomdan Museum Library Cultural Complex will transform one of Incheon’s most important brownfield sites and eventually become home to 180,000 residents. The project includes a cultural venue, a museum, a library, and a park, covering an area of 27,768 m2. The Incheon Housing and City Development Corporation and the Incheon Metropolitan City are the project’s clients.
The proposed cultural landmark will shift the paradigm in landmark architecture, prioritizing energy endurance and climate resiliency. The design follows sustainability measures and environmentally responsible design to create a place where nature and people can thrive and explore. The project’s ambition is to re-evaluate priorities and methods in the generation of signature architecture, addressing issues around energy usage, material waste, supply chain inefficiencies, and carbon footprint.
Technical sheet
Project info
Project: GEOMDAN’S MUSEUM LIBRARY CULTURAL COMPLEX
Typology: Cultural Venue, Museum, Library, Park
Location: Incheon, South Korea
Date: 2023
Area: 27,768 m2
Client: Incheon Housing and City Development Corporation, Incheon Metropolitan City
Project credits
Architects: SOUR Studio + Seoinn Design Group
Design: Inanc Eray with Dong Kyu Choi
Design Team: Pinar Guvenc, Alex Yoocheol Choi, Marianne de Zeeuw, Mariana Evangelista, Merve Guven, Pinar Gursoy, Merve Akbay, Irem Gocmenoglu, Derin Sahin, Nicholas Doghlass, Gamze Gurgenc
