Tadao Ando expands Museum SAN with a meditation space "The Space of Light"
18/08/2023.
[Wonju] South Korea
metalocus, ANDRÉS BLANCO
metalocus, ANDRÉS BLANCO
Museum SAN, nestled in the mountains of Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando in 2013. Commemorating the Museum SAN’s tenth anniversary has presented a new extension, Tadao Ando’s second and latest meditation space for the institution, the "Space of Light" which was unveiled on July 18th, and has been open to the public, on August 1st.
The "Space of Light" is the second meditation space at the museum, after the opening of the "Meditation Hall", completed in 2019. The structure is located in the sculpture garden, near the entrance of the museum.
Coinciding it was featured the exhibition "Tadao Ando-Youth" that will extend to 29th October.
The "Space of Light" is the second meditation space at the museum, after the opening of the "Meditation Hall", completed in 2019. The structure is located in the sculpture garden, near the entrance of the museum.
Coinciding it was featured the exhibition "Tadao Ando-Youth" that will extend to 29th October.
Overview. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Overview. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Exterior. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Exterior. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Access. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Japanese architect Tadao Ando stands in "The Space of Light" meditation hall at the Museum SAN. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Inside. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Inside. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Roof plan. Museum SAN by Tadao Ando.
Section. Museum SAN by Tadao Ando.
Exterior. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Tadao Ando. Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Tadao Ando. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN
Tadao Ando designed the earlier Meditation Hall (opened in January 2019), as a dome-shaped structure embedded into the earth near the northern Stone Garden, creating a space of light that gently envelops the visitors. In contrast, the Space of Light, which sits on the southern end, offers a stoic and rigid space inspired by the platonic solids and highlights its distinct symmetry of light.
Almost like a void, a highly minimal space, the natural light that flows in resonates with its geometry opening up and generating the sensation of transcending to another sensitive level. Angular and round, still and dynamic, rigid and open – the contrasting yet complementary two spaces hope to achieve a new dynamic balance at Museum SAN.
Almost like a void, a highly minimal space, the natural light that flows in resonates with its geometry opening up and generating the sensation of transcending to another sensitive level. Angular and round, still and dynamic, rigid and open – the contrasting yet complementary two spaces hope to achieve a new dynamic balance at Museum SAN.
"People will be able to feel that they are directly encountering nature. With Space of Light, I wanted to create a space where nature and humans become one." Unobstructed light flooding into the building is something Ando is proud of. "Light is much more beautiful without the glass,' he says. "One day, I would like to get rid of the glass in the Church of Light."
"The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN.
"The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN.
The 22,000-square-meter museum was founded by the Hansol Cultural Foundation. The museum was designed by Tadao Ando and commissioned by the late Lee In-hee, who was then an advisor to the Hansol Group.
Tadao Ando. "The Space of Light" Museum SAN by Tadao Ando. Photography courtesy of Museum SAN.
“I was doubtful if the space was suitable for a museum because it was situated in the middle of the mountains, quite far from the capital city Seoul. I was skeptical about Lee's request.
Lee persuaded me that if the museum is the only one of its kind, people will visit it in the end. She was right -- now the museum is visited by 200,000 people every year.”
Lee persuaded me that if the museum is the only one of its kind, people will visit it in the end. She was right -- now the museum is visited by 200,000 people every year.”
Tadao Ando on July 15 at a lecture at Ewha Womans University.
The museum also runs a space dedicated to American artist James Turrell, known for exploring the concept of light through his works.
More information
Architects
Client
Area
Superficie total museo.- 22.000 m².
Dates
Museum.- 2013.
First expansion.- 2018.
Second expansion.- July 18th 2023.
First expansion.- 2018.
Second expansion.- July 18th 2023.
Location
Museum SAN. 260, Oak Valley 2-gil, Jijeong-myeon, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea.
TADAO ANDO
Tadao Ando was born in Osaka, Japan in 1941. A self-educated architect, he spent time in nearby Kyoto and Nara, studying firsthand the great monuments of traditional Japanese architecture. Between 1962 and 1969 he traveled to the United States, Europe, and Africa, learning about Western architecture, history, and techniques. His studies of both traditional Japanese and modern architecture had a profound influence on his work and resulted in a unique blend of these rich traditions.
In 1969 Ando established Tadao Ando Architect and Associates in Osaka. He is an honorary fellow in the architecture academies of six countries; he has been a visiting professor at Yale, Columbia, and Harvard Universities; and in 1997, he became professor of architecture at Tokyo University.
Ando has received numerous architecture awards, including the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, the 2002 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, and also in 2002, the Kyoto Prize for lifetime achievement in the arts and philosophy. His buildings can be seen in Japan, Europe, the United States, and India.
In fall 2001, following up on the comprehensive master plan commissioned from Cooper, Robertson & Partners in the 1990s and completed in 2001, Tadao Ando was selected to develop an architectural master plan for the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute to expand its buildings and enhance its 140-acre campus.
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