Meier Partners has shared news of the recent completion of its Sorol Art Museum design in Gangneung, South Korea. The 336,500-square-foot project is meant to provide space for an immersive dialogue between Korean artists and the outside world and is the firm’s first completed work since its 2021 restructuring.

The building's internal structure is defined by a dual concept that arranges space into introverted and extroverted inter-dynamics based on the aesthetic theory of Korean Confucian philosophy. According to the architects, the external form utilizes the hillside’s natural topography to present the art inside on a pedestal to visitors in a way that also establishes the connection between nature and architecture as another core tenet of their experiences. 

Curators will have the option of controlling the gradations of light sources, both natural and artificial, inside the large skylit main exhibition space and smaller galleries. In a project announcement, the firm's Associate Principal, Guillermo Murcia, called its realization a "milestone," stating that he hoped its design would enable a spatially pleasing and enriching "personal journey of discovery" for the tens of thousands of visitors who are expected to make the two-hour trek outside of Seoul annually.

Dukho Yeon, the Partner-in-Charge for the Sorol Art Museum’s design, commented: "The design vision was to create a modest but lyrical composition incised into this spectacular landscape that would become the perfect backdrop for art and remain forever memorable to all who visit."

Yeon's colleague, Sharon Oh, added: "We envisioned the museum to beautifully exemplify the continuous dialogue between interior and exterior elements, creating tranquil exhibition spaces that serve as a neutral backdrop for the art." Architects Hyunggyu Choi, Yuhwa Jeong, Tetsuhito Abe, and Jun Kawai were also included on the project team in Gangneung. 

Meier Partners is currently working to finish the new Children’s Dream Center and Children’s Eco Museum project in Seoul. A separate residential project and the forthcoming Kiwoom Finance Square tower will follow its inception, also in Seoul. The firm has also opened concurrent projects in Italy, Dubai, Spain, and Hawaii in addition to completing its Stuttgart Residences in Germany.