The quest to honor history and origins has been central to the identities of cities for centuries. A museum dedicated to history becomes a vital vessel for this endeavor, shaping a space where the past and present engage in dialogue and inviting us to reflect on how time shapes our urban experience.
In Jinju, a city with roots as significant as its present, this dialogue takes on particular importance. By drawing on traditional architecture, the New National Museum project honors the city’s past while reimagining its future. This museum reactivates the site of Jinju’s former train station, transforming an empty space into a connective urban landmark that unites previously divided neighborhoods.
At the heart of the masterplan is a podium, dividing the museum into three distinct volumes that frame views of the surrounding landscape: two smaller blocks offer views toward the mountain, while the larger block faces the cityscape and high-rise buildings. The museum’s focal point is the relocated pagoda from Jinju’s original National Museum, around which all activity revolves. Retaining an open, outdoor experience reminiscent of its original site, the pagoda creates dynamic connections to the urban context, activating the site as a public platform.
Sustainability is woven into the museum's design, making it a model for environmentally conscious architecture. Passive cooling systems draw on convection principles, using natural airflow to circulate air. As the sun heats the patio surfaces, hot air rises, drawing cooler air from shaded areas and facilitating continuous air movement. Additionally, over 3,000 square meters of solar panels on the rooftops generate renewable energy, contributing to the building’s energy efficiency. Rainwater is collected, treated, and stored in basement tanks, serving daily operations like irrigation, cleaning, and toilet flushing, reducing the museum's reliance on freshwater resources.
On one side of this new connection lies the high-density, high-rise eastern neighborhood, marked by the Gyeongsang National University campus, hospital, and apartment complexes. In contrast, the western side features a lower-density residential area with older, smaller structures and proximity to the Mangjinsan Mountain. Together with other new developments, like the nearby Railroad Park, the museum will invigorate its surroundings, breathing new life into the western residential area while easing congestion in the eastern sector. This blending of urban layers fosters a vibrant, diverse environment where the museum, green spaces, and communal areas enhance quality of life.
The museum's spatial arrangement is designed to encourage fluid visitor movement. The podium level introduces visitors to the exhibits, leading them through galleries, courtyards, a restaurant, outdoor exhibition spaces, and areas for public gatherings. The welcome center, positioned as the initial point of entry, allows visitors to freely explore the museum's collections and services.
The museum’s spatial program is organized hierarchically, with the most public areas on the lower levels and the most private, including staff offices and educational spaces, on the upper floors. Three separate volumes house storage, preservation, and exhibition spaces, with the children’s museum and thematic programs enhancing the museum’s educational mission. Visitors journey upward from the podium level, ascending through cultural spaces via ramps and stairs, then returning to the ground-level public zones, which include the museum shop and open courtyards.
The New National Museum of Jinju ultimately functions as both a historical archive and a dynamic public space, inviting the community to gather, explore, and connect with Jinju’s rich heritage in a living, natural setting that melds history and modernity. This design transforms the site into an urban tapestry where nature, culture, and history converge, offering an expansive vision for Jinju's future.
The quest to honor history and origins has been central to the identities of cities for centuries. A museum dedicated to history becomes a vital vessel for this endeavor, shaping a space where the past and present engage in dialogue and inviting us to reflect on how time shapes our urban experience.
