The design for the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, which will be built on the site of the former Defense Security Command (Kimusa) complex in Sogyuk-dong, central Seoul, was announced on Friday. 

The winning design, “Shapeless Museum,” by a consortium of two firms -- mp_Art Architect and Siaplan -- suggests an open and flexible museum complex which is not restricted by its site but naturally blends in with the surroundings. The design was selected from among five finalists narrowed down from a total of 113 applicants after the preliminary round. 

“The museum will be a landmark of Seoul. The crucial screening points for the designs were how it proposes to deal with the museum site’s surroundings, what kind of vision it offers as an art museum of a new era, how the flow of human traffic and environmental problems are considered and how the main ideas were supplemented after the preliminary round,” said Gang Seok-won, a representative of the five-member jury. 

He added that the winning team’s proposal was selected by the committee unanimously. 

“The area has its particularities, with Gyeongbokgung in the front and Bukchon in the back. The jury agreed that “Shapelessness” proposed an art museum with great spatial sense that harmoniously embraces the fragmented buildings and spaces around the area,” said Gang. 

The selected plan calls for the construction of seven buildings, including the old military building, and many yards around them. 

The area has a height limit of 12 meters, so a lot of the space will open underground. Buildings will have two or three basement floors. Finishing materials of the buildings will be white terra-cotta.