A rendering of the architectural installation by architect Lee Jeong-hoon, which will be unveiled as part of “MMCA Gwacheon Project 2022: Rooftop Garden” starting in May (MMCA)
Architect Lee Jeong-hoon has won the MMCA Gwacheon Project 2022 for his proposal to create a large-scale architectural installation on the rooftop of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
MMCA Gwacheon Project, an annual contest inaugurated in 2021, is organized by the national art museum to revitalize the Gwacheon venue’s outdoor space.
Lee’s proposal to create an open-air canopy composed of a number of pipes, which aims to embody a concept of the “passage of time,” beat 17 other teams, the museum announced Wednesday.
The architectural installation will be set up on the rooftop of the three-story cylindrical museum.
It will overlook the outdoor garden created by landscape designer Hwang Ji-hae, which is part of the exhibition “Circular Garden Project: Leisurely and Lively Conversation.” The garden was created with plants that can be found in the mountains surrounding the museum. The garden will be open to the public until Dec. 17, 2023.
Lee is the founder of JOHO Architecture, a Seoul-based architecture and design lab established in 2009. The architect has interpreted architecture in the context of humanity and holds the philosophy that architecture creates a “new identity and discourse in contemporary cities,” according to the architecture lab’s official website.
“The project aims to offer a resting place at the outdoor space to museum-goers which would have been rarely visited otherwise. I hope visitors can enjoy art at the museum that features nature,” said Youn Bum-mo, director of the museum.
The exhibition “MMCA Gwacheon Project 2022: Rooftop Garden” will be unveiled on May 5 at the museum in Gwacheon. MMCA’s Gwacheon venue is closed on Mondays.
The inaugural winner of the MMCA Gwacheon Project went to architect Kim Sara last year for her sculpture-like bus stops at the museum, which did not have proper bus stops nearby.
Shuttle buses run every 20 minutes between Exit 4 of Seoul Grand Park Station and the main and back gates of the MMCA’s Gwacheon branch.
