MaDang Design Competition Held for “The Nature & The Artificial in the Museum”
- Korean courtyard spaces is called “MaDang”
- The Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture Finds a Designer and Architect for Its Courtyard Space
The Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture (KMUA) has announced the Madang Project Design Competition for KMUA with a view to provide Madang, or courtyard space, where the nature and artifacts are combined along with an exhibition space on city and architecture, and is accepting registration of participation until the 15th of May.
The Madang Project Design Competition for KMUA, which is held under the theme of ‘KMUA,’ is held to accurately define the characteristics and functions of the two Madangs, or courtyards, facing each other, the exhibition space on the north and the creative and educational space on the south, and establish a differentiated plan for the museum’s external spaces. The goal is to identify and secure a feasible design plan which comprehensively considers the location, direction, size, height, climate, and the regimen of Madang, or the courtyard.
The Madang North, or the northern courtyard, is a nature-centric yard with a sub-theme of “Rest,” visually connected to the five theme exhibition spaces on the first and second basement floors. It seeks to expand the exhibition experience by breaking down the boundaries between the indoor and outdoor spaces by allowing visitors to view the nature of the yard from the interior exhibition space and the interior exhibition space from the exterior yard.
The Madang South, or the southern courtyard, is a place for creation and experimentation linked to the Fab Lab and Creative Studio with a sub-theme of “Play.” It is an experiential space where the visitors can directly and indirectly experience “Play” by visually and tactilely feeling the materials and properties of the installations.
The target area of Madang North, or the northern courtyard, is 748.12㎡, and is a natural ground. Up to 4 domestic and foreign landscaping and architecture experts (companies) can participate. The target area of Madang South, or the southern courtyard, is 199.73㎡, and is an artificial ground (9.2m deep). Any Korean citizen who has expertise of a related field such as landscaping, architecture, or installation art may participate with up to three individuals (companies). Multiple applications are allowed for the 2 Madang, or courtyard, projects.
Registration for the competition runs until 4PM, Thursday, the 15th of May, and the participants must submit their first panel between 10AM and 4PM on Monday, the 19th of May. Only those who pass the first round will submit their presentation video for the second round. The jury review for the first round will be held on May 23rd, and that for the second round will be held on June 13th. The final winners will be announced on Monday, June 16th.
The jury are Park Yoon-jin (landscape) of Office Park Kim, Baek Jong-hyun (landscape) of HEA, Lee Seung-taek (architecture) of stpmj Architects, Lee Jeong-hoon (architecture) of Joho Architects, and Lee Hyun-sook (specialist) of the National Museum of Korea.
The winner of the Madang North will receive KRW 500 million for the design, production, and installation costs, KRW 8 million for the 2nd place, KRW 6 million for the 3rd place, KRW 4 million for the 4th place, and KRW 2 million for the 5th place. The winner of the Madang South will receive a prize of KRW 250 million for the design, production, and installation costs, KRW 4 million for the 2nd place, KRW 3 million for the 3rd place, KRW 2 million for the 4th place, and KRW 1 million for the 5th place. The installation of work is scheduled for completion during the second half of 2026.
Meanwhile, KMUA is currently under construction in Sejong Administrative City, with completion scheduled for the second half of 2026. The building comprises two basement levels and three above-ground floors, with a total gross floor area of 21,069 square meters. The winning entry of the international design competition, submitted by AZPML + UKST, proposed a unique exhibition space that diverges from the conventional "white cube" gallery model. By introducing two sunken courtyards at the basement levels, the design allows natural light to penetrate deep into the high-ceilinged exhibition halls, thereby creating an open and dynamic environment suited to urban and architectural exhibitions.
XORBIS Inc., one of the consortium currently undertaking the exhibition design, production, and installation for the opening exhibition of the KMUA, is hosting this design competition under the overarching theme of “The Natural & the Artificial in the Museum.” The northern courtyard is designated under the sub-theme “Rest,” while the southern courtyard is associated with “Play.” Through this competition, the intent is to define the characteristics and functions of each courtyard—positioned respectively at the core of the exhibition space (north) and the workshop studio & fabrication lab (south)—and to derive the most suitable design proposal that harmonizes natural and artificial elements. The selection will focus on realistic and feasible proposals that comprehensively consider factors such as the courtyards’ location, orientation, size, height, climate, and ecological conditions. The winning team will be responsible for executing the entire process—including design, production, and installation—in close consultation with the client and other relevant stakeholders.
KMUA will be the first and largest museum in Korea dedicated to the fields of urbanism and architecture. It is envisioned as a comprehensive institution that will collect, manage, preserve, research, exhibit, and educate the public on the heritage and materials related to urban and architectural development. Under the overarching theme “Building Life: Korean Urban Architecture, 1950–2010,” the museum is currently planning, designing, and producing ten sub-themed exhibitions.
Located within the National Museum Complex in Sejong Administrative City, the museum is being developed alongside four other national institutions: the Children’s Museum, the National Design Museum, the Digital Heritage Center, and the National Archives Museum.
The details on the competition are available at the website (https://kmua-madang.com/).
Title
Madang Project Design Competition for the Korean Museum of Urbanism and ArchitectureType
Competition Announcement (Built Projects & Masterplans)Organizers
Registration Deadline
May 15, 2025 04:00 PMSubmission Deadline
May 19, 2025 04:00 PMVenue
KMUAPrice
Free
