The International Competition for the National Museum Complex Master Plan of Administrative City was carried out as a two-stage design competition to achieve an integrated concept and planning for the entire complex and museum facilities. The first stage focused on developing the overall development concept for the 190,000 sq. m. area and the master plan ideas for the first-phase project site (approximately 75,000 sq. m.). The second stage evaluated more detailed master plans and the designs for the initial facilities in the first phase, including the National Children’s Museum, an integrated storage, and an integrated operations center. Junglim Architecture, in collaboration with the Canada-based architectural firm Office OU, submitted “Sejong Museum Gardens” and was ultimately selected as the winner. The winning proposal received positive evaluations for its site layout and phased construction plan, the coexistence of urban and natural elements in the master plan, maintaining a human scale throughout, and skillful modulation of space considering both urban and natural environments.

Sejong Museum Gardens draws inspiration from traditional Korean palace layout designs, aiming to incorporate diverse ecological environments of the site into the complex. Instead of planning independent landmark facilities, it focuses on preserving surrounding landscapes to symbolize the museum spaces. Visitors will culturally discover and appreciate the exhibited contents and landscape both inside and outside the spaces, experiencing the whole site as a vast museum. Wrapping the buildings, a series of simple canopy lines at a certain height intersect between museum facilities and outdoor spaces across varied terrains, defining their character as planar surfaces. The master plan also considers the yet-to-be-determined sites and programs of the other museums to establish a functional and efficient connection to the integrated storage in the future.