Built in remembrance of his father, acoustician and founder of Silbatone Acoustics, Michael Chung has established the world’s first dedicated audio equipment museum in Seoul, South Korea, adorning the posh landscape of the Gangnam district. Situated in the residential neighbourhood of Seocho-gu, the Audeum promises a holistic sensory experience to its visitors through Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s iconic architectural intervention, offering views of the Cheonggyesan mountains. Spanning seven storeys, the museum features an extensive collection of sound equipment from the 19th century to the present. Showcasing rarities such as the Edison phonograph and the Western Electric loudspeaker, the Audeum manifests Chung’s passion for acoustics and his vision to foster appreciation of the auditory arts among the public.

Born in 1954 and having established his eponymous firm in 1990, Kuma is distinguished for addressing the synergy between nature, man and technology through his designs. Having previously designed over 70 museums and cultural institutions, Audeum, being the first of its kind, posed a unique challenge for Kuma. Talking about his design approach in a film released by the museum, he says, “I have experience designing art museums in various locations around the world. It is very rare to come across a museum specialising in audio. This museum required a unique space that does not exist in traditional museums. The building is designed for visitors to experience texture, light, wind and scent as a cohesive whole that cannot be experienced in a visual art museum.”

The building’s facade resembles a cascading waterfall of metal from a distance. Evoking an orderly randomness in its encasement of vertical aluminium pipes, the design mimics the wilderness of a forest. “My aim for this museum was to craft a unique listening experience within a forest-like structure. I tried to recreate sunlight shining through a forest using aluminium pipes,” says Kuma on his concept for the façade. “By not subjecting the facade to a certain thickness or layout, I wanted to replicate a randomness that can be observed in nature.” Housing the world’s largest audio equipment archives, the building itself acts as an instrument, weaving tangible narratives to connect its visitors with nature and themselves.

A set of opposite perron staircases trace the edges of the building, converging in a valley. Together, the valley and the forest transform the intervention into a scenic upland. As one descends deeper within the campus, the space transforms into a vessel, imbuing new sensory experiences. “The stages of a visitor’s journey leading up to the architectural piece are extremely important. These stages give visitors the opportunity to prepare mentally,” Kuma shares in a video released by the museum. "We start with sight, then smell and finally the visitor’s sense of hearing is awakened by sound. The lobby was designed [to allow visitors] to experience a novel world of the senses.” The 100 mm thick stone walls of the stairway are finished in frosted work, compelling one to examine its texture. Just as the visitor familiarises with the rough and cold exterior, Audeum lifts its curtain of aluminium pipes from the southeast facade to reveal an inviting glass entrance that fills the atrium with natural light.

As one ventures into the interior realm, the continuance of the aluminium members and the introduction of wooden interiors facilitate a smooth transition. Among the clustered metal pipes that adorn the ceiling of the entrance vestibule, some lights are strategically placed in a subtle disguise. The succeeding spaces are filled with the fresh fragrance of Alaskan cypress wood, draped on the walls like curtains of an auditorium. The audio exhibits put on an actual show, enhanced by the dark ceilings and the acoustics of the interior shell, subjecting the spectators to visualise and internalise humanity’s auditory journey.

Every space inside the audio museum is thoughtfully designed for individual identity while being coherent with the overall design language of the building. The dark, road-facing corridors block the views of the city to maintain the immersive experience of the museum, creating a dramatic liminal space through the light projections of the facade. A compact room holding a collection of audio-visual items extends itself physically through a mirror wall, its objects proudly displayed along the opulent white centre table and the white walls on either side. An elegant array of gramophones greets the visitors as they traverse along a narrow corridor with a tall wall that looms over them, enveloping them to create a sense of comfort against the large glass walls that offer views of the district.

The use of the draping technique is not unique to the wooden walls of the Audeum. Translucent arches of fabric have been created that continue to the ceiling, exuding an ethereal glow of diffused light in the space with its organic, floral form. “The driving concept of this space was to present fabric in its various forms. The fabric has the ability to transform and soften light and sound,” observes Kuma, adding that “the flower was the natural outcome of an exploration into the potential of fabric.” 

The Audeum challenges the notion of limiting exhibition spaces as mere storage spaces for the arts. Transcending the conventional museum experience; the sensory exploration of materials and spaces results in an indelible experience for auditory enthusiasts. “The building is designed for visitors to experience texture, light, wind and scent as a cohesive whole that cannot be experienced in a visual art museum. Sound will play a critical role in our healing and recovery from various sources of modern-day stress. Audeum will symbolise a new era of healing through the sense of hearing,” Kuma predicts, hoping for a bright future of sensory engagement and ingenuity in architecture.

Project Details

Name: The Audeum
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Typology: Audio Museum
Client: Michael Chung
Architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Design Team: Kengo Kuma, Sungyeon Won, Hiroyo Yamamoto, Shoki An, Yi Ji, Yuzuru Kamiya, Masafumi Yukimoto, Yuya Mori, Jeongwon Kim, Sayaka Shimizu
Construction: KCC corporation
Cooperation: Kozo Keikaku Engineering, NI Steel
Illumination: LPA – Lighting Planners Associates
Site Area: 2,332.90 sqm
Building Area:  1,089.13 sqm
Total Floor Area: 11,009.4 sqm
Year of Completion: 2023

(Text by Bansari Paghdar, intern at STIR)