Sejong Art Centre, the winning proposal for the Sejong Art Centre by DMP Partners seeks to portray the mixture of nature and man-made through its forms. The curvaceous form depicts the former whiles the linearity is that of the man-made urban landscape. The centre located in the international cultural area sits between nature and the urban, hence the strength in the architects’ formal choice of communication.
Courtesy of DMP Partners
As a multi-performance art centre, there will be a main theatre with a capacity of 800 seats, a medium theatre of 300 seats, a film theatre of 250 seats and an art gallery.To reinforce their use of “scapes”, the architects categorized users’ interaction with the centre into 5.The “urban-plaza scape” located north of the centre comprises of a public arrival square and a cinema in the south area. These “scapes” provide for a magnificent view on the urban scape of the city.
Courtesy of DMP Partners
The second of the “scapes” the Architecture scape is the open space between the two blocks of theatre leading to the central park. This space permits visitors to hang around in between events or for small gatherings. The grand stairway, the grand hall and the main hall of the theatre are all included in this scape.The third theatre scape refers to the designs of the three dimensional wall to give best quality acoustics and aesthetics. The lighting and acoustics of high modern standards give visitors quality entertainment.
Courtesy of DMP Partners
The forth public/ground scape is the connection between the theatre and the waterside. The space is projected to be an important part of the city life. It’s supposed to be the culmination of a journey, which starts from the public square, the cinema through the history park and public space.The last civic-scape is the open-space of energy people can feel with the hall and two theatres acing the central park.
Architects: DMP Partners (designcamp moonpark) – Seunghong Park, Hokeun Oh
Country: South Korea, Seoul
Year: 2012 – 2013
Photographs: Courtesy of DMP Partners
Project Architect: Seungchul Han, Sehwan Park
Project Manager: Jongin Park
Project Team: Hyekyung Ju, HanJin Yoon, Sungwoo Moon, Junghyuk Seo, Sanghwan Jung, Junghwa Lee, Seungheon Kim, Minkyung Kim, Jinho Kim
Acoustics: ad&c
Structural Engineer: I’ST
Mechanical Engineer: HIMEC
Electricity / Telecommunication: Jung Woo Eng.
Civil Engineer: Daekyo E&C
CG: 201 studio
Editorial Design: Godo Design
Architectural Model: Daerim
Total Floor Area: 15,360m2 (Gross)
Site Area: 43,493 m2
Hassan Yakubu is an editor at Arch2O with a deep academic and professional background in architecture, planning, and urban infrastructure. Currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Cornell University, his editorial focus spans climate urbanism, sustainability transitions, and the intersection of infrastructure and STS. Hassan brings a sharp critical lens shaped by fieldwork in Accra and policy research across Africa. With prior experience leading pedagogical initiatives and contributing to architectural practices in Rabat and Accra, his writing brings clarity, academic depth, and a global perspective to contemporary urban issues and design thinking.