SAMOO's Presidential Archives cube invites visitors to walk the footsteps of past leaders
As a place that exhibits the records of Korean presidents, the Presidential Archive may appear rigid and authoritative because of the weighty theme. Thus this design by international firm SAMOO aims to be an archive where people can visit freely without feeling pressured. People are invited to enjoy themselves viewing the historical records of nearly a century and to stroll along the footpath of the former presidents of South Korea, conversing with the waterside park on a low hill.
The cubical form of the main exhibition hall was derived from the great seal and its box used by Korean presidents. The records symbolise the great seal, and the exhibition room represents the great seal box. The two materials of the box, brass (inner skin) and the wood (outer skin), were reinterpreted respectively by stone and glass, making the space a new landmark of the multi-functional administrative city.
The interior space is devoted to the exhibition displaying the dreams and hopes of successive presidents from Seung-Mahn Lee who had been elected in 1948, to future presidents until 2040. The visitors are invited to walk on the blessed ground occupied by a symbolic cube and surrounding low hills where sky, earth and water meet. The green network, which connects nature to the culture of the multi-functional administrative city, would provide the experience of an integrated place of exchange showing the footsteps of the presidents of the Republic of Korea.
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