3 Seoul architectural gems where art meets everyday life

Three public buildings recognized at the 44th Seoul Architecture Awards offer distinct ways to experience art in everyday urban spaces. Seo-Seoul Museum of Art in Geumcheon District reflects its park surroundings through hammered stainless steel and paths connecting the park with the interior. Art Center LIM blends into Bukchon with reclaimed bricks, while Seoul Theater Creation Center supports theater professionals near Daehangno through an accessible red-brick design.

The Seoul Architecture Awards selected one Grand Prize winner, two Top Excellence Prize winners, four Excellence Prize winners and three New Architect Prize winners this year.

Seo-Seoul Museum of Art is located in Geumnarae Central Park near Geumcheon District Office Station and has a V-shaped structure with most exhibition spaces in the basement.

Art Center LIM has cafes on the first floors and exhibition spaces on the second floors, with low windows framing views of traditional Bukchon hanok.

Seoul Theater Creation Center is a six-story building near Hansung University Station on Subway Line 4, with a pedestrian gallery connecting Seongbuk-ro and Seongbuk-ro 4-gil.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture established the Seoul Theater Creation Center in response to rising rents and gentrification in Daehangno.

Published Oct 18, 2026 12:00 am KST

The Seoul SeMA Seo-Seoul Museum of Art in Geumcheon Distric, Seoul, is the winner of the grand prize at the 2026 Seoul Architecture Awards. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

What might it look like if gentle waves rippled across the surface of the sea? The sky shimmers and the grass seems to undulate across an uneven metal surface. The wall of this building, stretching horizontally at a height of 3.6 meters and reflecting the surrounding scenery, looks strangely familiar.

Then it becomes clear: It resembles "bangjja yugi," traditional Korean hammered brassware often seen on carefully arranged tables at Korean restaurants. The intricate patterns, painstakingly hammered into the metal, refract light to create its distinctive sheen.

This place wrapped in a long bangjja yugi on its exterior is the Seoul SeMA Seo-Seoul Museum of Art. Built this year in Geumnarae Central Park near Geumcheon District Office Station in Geumcheon District, it won the Grand Prize at the 44th Seoul Architecture Awards last month.

Seoul selects and awards city buildings every year. This year, it selected one Grand Prize winner, two Top Excellence Prize winners, four Excellence Prize winners and three New Architect Prize winners. Among these, public buildings that anyone can freely visit include one from each top tier, totaling three: Seo-Seoul Museum of Art, Art Center Lim in Jongno District (Top Excellence Prize) and Seoul Theater Creation Center in Seongbuk District (Excellence Prize). Two are museums and one is a performance venue. All have great public transport access, making them ideal to put together on a one-day outing itinerary.

The exterior wall of the Seoul SeMA Seo-Seoul Museum of Art facing the pedestrian walkway is made of glass. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Contemporary art museum wrapped in hammered metal

After getting off at Geumcheon District Office Station on Subway Line 1 and walking toward the park, visitors will soon spot the Seo-Seoul Museum of Art. The building’s distinctive V-shaped structure, with its obtuse angle, immediately draws the eye to the uneven cladding along the low wall at the edge of the roof. The material is hammered stainless steel, shaped by striking metal panels. Though the material differs from traditional brassware, its irregular texture bears a striking resemblance to bangjja yugi.

Visitors might assume that a trip to an art museum should begin by stepping inside to see the exhibits. The Seo-Seoul Museum of Art, however, offers a different experience. Its design seamlessly connects the park’s walking paths with the building’s interior. Architect Kim Chan-joong calls it a “linear museum,” envisioning a street where the route itself becomes part of the museum experience.

With Geumnarae Central Park spread out in front of it, the museum’s metal wall becomes a living mural reflecting the park’s grassy lawns. It is as if a painter were using rough brushstrokes to capture leaves swaying in the breeze and clouds drifting across the sky in real time. As the seasons change, so does the image, presenting a different mural throughout the year. Beneath the wall, which projects over the pedestrian walkway like an eave, a long stretch of glass allows passersby to peer into the exhibition galleries.

Another highlight is the triangular staircase at the center of the building. The stairs encircle a vertical void open to the sky, guiding visitors down to the basement, where most of the exhibition spaces are located. An elevator is available on one side of the building, but the staircase effectively serves as the museum’s main entrance. An inscription on the stairwell reads: “Those with plenty of time may also enter this way.” It is an unhurried staircase that does not compete with the park’s walking paths.

A vertical view of the staircase at theSeMA Seo-Seoul Museum of Art / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

An art center that blends into hanok neighborhood

Art Center LIM is a multipurpose cultural space tucked into a narrow alley in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno District, behind the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. Two buildings with gabled roofs stand side by side, separated by a narrow gap. Their appearance is remarkably simple. They look like the kind of houses a young child might draw. The design could be described as “faithful to the basics” or, perhaps, as so understated that it barely catches the eye.

Blending in is precisely the architectural ambition of Art Center LIM, completed last year. The surrounding area is Bukchon, one of Seoul’s best-known neighborhoods for "hanok," or traditional Korean homes. Although bustling with cultural and commercial establishments, the area remains defined by traditional Korean houses. These are not simply hanok meticulously preserved as cultural heritage, but homes that bear the accumulated traces of everyday life. Faded roof tiles, weathered stone walls and narrow alleys blend into a muted palette of stone hues. A new building that stands out would disrupt that harmony. Art Center LIM seeks instead to melt into the subdued streetscape.

Art Center LIM in Jongno District, Seoul, winner of the Excellence Award at the 2026 Seoul Architecture Awards / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

That does not mean copying the appearance of traditional hanok, which would be an unimaginative approach ill-suited to the times. Instead, the architects chose reclaimed bricks. The exterior walls, built with old bricks that were reprocessed, blend naturally with the neighborhood’s aged atmosphere. A building shaped like the most basic idea of a house does not look out of place in this old residential district. The first floor of each building houses a cafe, while the second floor contains exhibition spaces.

A traditional hanok street seen through a gallery window at Art Center LIM / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Each gallery has an unusual feature: a window set remarkably low. Visitors must do more than bend at the waist; they have to lie flat on the floor to bring their eyes level with it. The reason for the window’s placement becomes clear once they lower their gaze. When a traditional Bukchon hanok comes into view, the window frames the scene like a landscape painting.

Art Center LIM features exterior walls finished with reclaimed bricks. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Miniature version of Daehangno’s theater district

To appreciate the Seoul Theater Creation Center, visitors need to understand the circumstances that led to its construction. The center was conceived as a response to mounting gentrification in Daehangno, Seoul’s theater district. As commercialization drove up rents, small theater companies and independent venues gradually lost their homes. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture established the center not far from Daehangno as a base to support theater professionals’ creative work and performances.

The Seoul Theater Creation Center, built primarily of red brick / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Located on a site facing three broad roads near Hansung University Station on Subway Line 4 in Seongbuk-gu, the six-story building carries on Daehangno’s architectural legacy with its red-brick exterior. Beginning with Kyungdong Church, designed by architect Kim Swoo-geun, more and more masonry buildings appeared in Daehangno, establishing red brick as a defining material of the district.

The central concept behind the design is “a thousand walls.” The walls are broken into smaller sections so that the center feels welcoming to theater professionals without appearing imposing. The facades are segmented, with gray concrete slabs inserted between sections and projecting outward to lighten the building’s visual weight. From a distance, it looks as though several red-brick buildings have been clustered together, or as if the red-brick streetscape of Daehangno has been condensed into a single structure.

On the second floor, a pedestrian gallery connects Seongbuk-ro with Seongbuk-ro 4-gil. Taking advantage of the sloping site, the building was designed to allow access from nearly every floor. These features all help make the center feel more open and accessible.

The segmented structure of the Seoul Theater Creation Center is also visible from the inside. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

在第44届首尔建筑奖中获奖的三座公共建筑，以独特的方式展现了在日常都市空间中体验艺术的魅力。位于衿川区的西首尔美术馆，通过锤纹不锈钢和连接公园与室内空间的步道，呼应了周围的公园环境。LIM艺术中心采用再生砖，与北村街区融为一体；而首尔戏剧创作中心则以便捷的红砖设计，为大学路附近的戏剧从业者提供支持。

今年首尔建筑奖评选出一名大奖获得者、两名优秀奖获得者、四名优秀奖获得者和三名新锐建筑师奖获得者。

西首尔美术馆位于衿川区政府站附近的衿奈来中央公园内，建筑呈V字形，大部分展览空间位于地下室。

LIM艺术中心一楼设有咖啡馆，二楼设有展览空间，低矮的窗户框出了传统的北村韩屋的景色。

首尔剧场创作中心是一栋六层楼的建筑，位于地铁 4 号线汉城大学站附近，设有连接城北路和城北路 4 街的步行长廊。

为应对大学路地区租金上涨和高档化问题，首尔市政府和首尔艺术文化财团成立了首尔戏剧创作中心。

发布于2026年10月18日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

位于首尔衿川区的首尔西首尔美术馆荣获2026年首尔建筑奖最高奖。韩国时报 李汉浩摄

如果轻柔的波浪在海面上荡漾，会是怎样一番景象？天空波光粼粼，草地仿佛在凹凸不平的金属表面上起伏。这座建筑的墙壁水平延伸3.6米，倒映着周围的景色，看起来竟有些似曾相识。

这时才恍然大悟：它酷似“铜锣烧”，一种传统的韩国锤制铜器，常见于韩国餐厅精心布置的餐桌上。铜器上精雕细琢的纹路，折射光线，使其散发出独特的光泽。

这座外墙被长长的方纱包裹的建筑是首尔市立美术馆（Seo-Seoul Museum of Art）。它位于衿川区衿川区政府站附近的衿奈莱中央公园内，于今年建成，并在上个月的第44届首尔建筑奖中荣获大奖。

首尔每年都会评选并表彰城市建筑。今年，首尔评选出一座特等奖、两座卓越奖、四座优秀奖和三座新锐建筑师奖。其中，三座公共建筑可供公众免费参观，它们分别来自最高级别：西首尔美术馆、钟路区的林氏艺术中心（卓越奖）和城北区的首尔剧场创作中心（优秀奖）。这三座建筑均为博物馆和演出场所。所有建筑交通便利，非常适合安排一日游行程。

首尔市立美术馆（SeMA）面向人行道的外墙由玻璃制成。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

当代艺术博物馆被锤纹金属包裹

从地铁1号线衿川区厅站下车，朝着公园方向走，很快就能看到首尔市立美术馆。这座建筑独特的V字形结构，以及其钝角设计，立刻吸引人们的目光，尤其是屋顶边缘低矮墙面上不规则的覆层。这种覆层采用锤击不锈钢制成，由醒目的金属板构成。虽然这种材料与传统的铜器有所不同，但其不规则的纹理却与铜器有着惊人的相似之处。

人们或许会认为，参观美术馆应该从走进馆内欣赏展品开始。然而，首尔市立美术馆却提供了一种截然不同的体验。它的设计巧妙地将公园的步道与建筑内部空间融为一体。建筑师金灿重称之为“线性博物馆”，他设想将街道本身也融入到博物馆体验之中。

博物馆前方是广阔的锦那来中央公园，博物馆的金属墙面仿佛化作一幅生动的壁画，映照着公园的草坪。仿佛一位画家正用粗犷的笔触，实时捕捉着微风中摇曳的树叶和天空中飘动的云朵。随着季节更迭，画面也随之变化，一年四季呈现出不同的景象。墙面下方，如同屋檐般延伸至人行道之上，一排长长的玻璃窗让路人得以窥见展厅内部。

另一大亮点是位于建筑中央的三角形楼梯。楼梯环绕着一个通向天空的垂直空间，引导参观者下到地下室，那里集中了大部分展览空间。建筑的一侧设有电梯，但楼梯实际上才是博物馆的主要入口。楼梯井壁上刻着一行字：“时间充裕者亦可由此进入。” 这是一条悠闲的楼梯，与公园的步道相得益彰。

首尔市立美术馆（SeMA）楼梯的垂直视角 / 韩国时报 李汉浩摄

与韩屋街区融为一体的艺术中心

LIM艺术中心是一个多功能文化空间，隐匿于首尔钟路区昭格洞一条狭窄的巷子里，紧邻国立现代美术馆。两栋人字形屋顶的建筑并排而立，中间隔着一条狭窄的缝隙。它们的外观极其简洁，宛如孩童笔下的房子。这种设计可以用“忠于基本”来形容，或者说，低调到几乎难以引人注目。

融入周围环境正是去年竣工的LIM艺术中心的建筑理念。它坐落于首尔著名的韩屋街区北村，这里文化和商业场所林立，但传统韩屋依然是该地区的标志性建筑。这些韩屋并非仅仅是作为文化遗产精心保存的，而是承载着日常生活痕迹的居所。褪色的瓦片、风化的石墙和狭窄的巷道，共同构成了一幅柔和的石色画卷。任何突兀的新建筑都会破坏这种和谐。因此，LIM艺术中心力求融入这片宁静的街景。

位于首尔钟路区的LIM艺术中心荣获2026年首尔建筑奖优秀奖 / 《韩国时报》李汉浩摄

这并非意味着照搬传统韩屋的外观，那样做缺乏创意，与时代格格不入。相反，建筑师选择了回收砖。用旧砖重新加工砌成的外墙，与周围街区的古朴氛围自然融合。这座外形如同最基本房屋的建筑，在这个古老的住宅区里并不显得突兀。每栋建筑的一楼都设有咖啡馆，二楼则为展览空间。

透过艺术中心LIM画廊的橱窗看到的传统韩屋街景 / 韩国时报 李汉浩摄

每个展厅都有一个不同寻常的特色：一扇位置极低的窗户。参观者不仅需要弯腰，更需要平躺在地上才能将视线与窗户齐平。当他们低下头时，窗户如此布置的用意便一目了然。当一栋传统的北村韩屋映入眼帘时，这扇窗户便如同画中山水一般，将眼前的景象框入其中。

LIM艺术中心的外墙采用再生砖砌筑。图片由《韩国时报》李汉浩拍摄。

大学路剧院区的微缩模型

要真正理解首尔戏剧创作中心，参观者需要了解其建立的背景。该中心的建立是为了应对首尔戏剧区大学路日益严重的商业化问题。随着商业化推高租金，小型剧团和独立演出场所逐渐失去了演出场地。首尔市政府和首尔艺术文化财团在距离大学路不远的地方建立了这座中心，旨在为戏剧从业人员的创作和演出提供支持。

首尔剧场创作中心，主要由红砖建造 / 韩国时报 李汉浩摄

这座六层建筑位于城北区，毗邻地铁4号线汉城大学站，面向三条宽阔的道路，其红砖外墙延续了大学路的建筑传统。从建筑师金秀根设计的京洞教堂开始，大学路一带出现了越来越多的砖石建筑，红砖也逐渐成为该地区的标志性建筑材料。

该设计的核心理念是“千墙”。墙体被分割成更小的部分，使中心既能为戏剧专业人士营造温馨舒适的氛围，又不会显得过于庞大。立面采用分段式设计，灰色混凝土板穿插于各部分之间并向外突出，从而减轻了建筑的视觉重量。从远处看，它仿佛是由几栋红砖建筑聚集而成，又像是将大学路的红砖街景浓缩成一座建筑。

二楼的步行长廊连接着城北路和城北路4街。建筑充分利用了地势的倾斜，几乎每一层都可以通行。这些设计都让中心区域显得更加开放和便捷。

从首尔剧场创作中心内部也可以看到其分段式结构。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。