Audeum

Kengo Kuma & Associates

A collection of vertical aluminum louvers forms a radiant silver forest. These 20,000 aluminum louvers meticulously cover the building’s exterior, creating a play of light and shadow. It evokes the darkness concealed by dense foliage and the sunlight filtering through the gaps in a forest. This is the initial impression of ‘Audeum,’ an audio museum that brings a touch of nature within the city. Located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Audeum is operated by the Seojeon Foundation and is dedicated to the history of audio development, collecting, researching, and exhibiting materials spanning over 150 years since the phonograph’s invention in 1877.

The museum, with a total floor area of 11,009.43m², comprises five floors above ground and two basement levels. Its exhibition halls are filled with collections of 19th-century phonographs, music boxes, and vintage audio systems from the 1920s to the 1960s. The space at Audeum serves as an architectural tool that allows visitors to feel primal senses and return to a natural state. The exterior features aluminum louvers to capture the beauty created by sunlight changes, revealing an exterior that shifts with the weather, time, and seasons, emphasizing the diverse and random characteristics of urban environments and nature.

一系列垂直铝制百叶窗形成了一片光芒四射的银色森林。这 20,000 个铝制百叶精心覆盖了建筑的外部，营造出光影交错的效果。它让人联想到浓密树叶掩盖下的黑暗，以及透过森林缝隙的阳光。这就是 "Audeum "给人的最初印象，一个在城市中带来自然气息的音频博物馆。Audeum 位于首尔瑞草区，由瑞田基金会运营，致力于音响发展史，收集、研究和展示自 1877 年留声机发明以来 150 多年的资料。

博物馆总面积为 11,009.43 平方米，包括地上五层和地下两层。展厅里陈列着 19 世纪的留声机、音乐盒以及 20 世纪 20 年代至 60 年代的老式音响系统。Audeum 的空间是一种建筑工具，能让游客感受原始感官，回归自然状态。建筑外观采用铝制百叶窗，捕捉阳光变化带来的美感，展现出随天气、时间和季节变化而变化的外观，强调了城市环境和自然的多样性和随机性特征。

The interior of the exhibition hall is finished in wood. Unlike typical wood finishes, detailed ‘wood drapes‘ are used to create a soft, natural texture. The transition from hard, dense aluminum to soft wood creates a noticeable change in the space from outside to inside. Here, wood is used as a sound-absorbing finish that subtly stimulates the senses and creates a sense of closeness to nature. In the basement lounge, the three-dimensional design of the fabric material, which has a subtle glow, is used to enhance the acoustic effect.
At Audeum, visitors can enjoy not only visual experiences but also auditory moments, while feeling the shimmering light, the faint breeze, and subtle scents in response to the properties of the materials. Audeum, a space to experience sound and acoustics, offers an experience that opens all the senses, as if staying in nature, free from urban noise.

展厅内部采用木质饰面。与一般的木质饰面不同，这里使用了细致的 "木质窗帘"，营造出柔和自然的质感。从坚硬、致密的铝材到柔软的木材，空间从外到内发生了明显的变化。在这里，木材被用作吸音饰面，巧妙地刺激感官，营造出一种亲近自然的感觉。在地下室的休息室里，织物材料的三维设计散发着微妙的光芒，增强了隔音效果。

在 Audeum，参观者不仅可以享受视觉体验，还可以享受听觉时刻，同时感受到闪烁的光线、微弱的微风以及因材料特性而产生的微妙气味。Audeum 是一个体验声音和音响效果的空间，它提供了一种打开所有感官的体验，仿佛置身于大自然之中，远离城市喧嚣。

Project: Audeum / Location: 6 Heolleung-ro 8-gil, Seocho District, Seoul / Architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates / Contractor: KCC corporation, Nippon Design Center (NDC), Lighting Planners Associates (LPA) / Site area: 2,332.90m² / Bldg. area: 1,089.13m² / Gross floor area: 11,009.43m² / Bldg. scale: five stories below ground, five stories above ground / Design: 2019.5.~2022.12. / Construction: 2021.8.~2023.8. / Photograph: ©Namsun Lee (courtesy of the architect); ©Yongbaek Lee (courtesy of the architect); ©Taiki Fukao (courtesy of the architect)