She is a flourishing lily floating upon the Han River.
She embodies the identity of a place—defined by her disappearance and reappearance.
Her dynamism.
Her grace.
The Seoul Performance and Art Centre reveals a mystifying, nuanced complexity to both the passing spectator and the distant observer. What might this vast cylindrical volume be, shifting with the light of day and night, evolving with every angle of view?
At night, her appearance transforms into its near opposite. The spectator can only decipher the exterior envelope through dynamic points of colored light across its skin, where pixelated images emerge and dissolve. From within, glowing lights and reflections reveal a vibrant interior life, bringing volumes that were nearly invisible by day into clear focus.
The interior forms a poetic universe of its own—complex, diverse, magnetic, waiting to be discovered.
Sited on an island steeped in evocative history, the SPAC emerges as a new symbol of cultural richness and energy for the city and people of Seoul.
It expresses the vibrant artistic vitality of a flourishing nation.
The exceptional urban scale of the site demands an extraordinary architectural presence to honor its unique character and significance. Nodeul Island receives the distinctive identity it deserves through a striking new emblem and civic program.
The SPAC articulates two main interior volumes—the Opera House and the Concert Hall—stacked in a vertical arrangement, bisected by a primary foyer that frames unobstructed 360-degree panoramic views of Nodeul Island at the heart of the city. These sculptural volumes are encased within the pure, contrasting geometry of a cylindrical envelope wrapped in a semi-transparent metallic screen facade.
She embodies the identity of a place—defined by her disappearance and reappearance.
Her dynamism.
Her grace.
The Seoul Performance and Art Centre reveals a mystifying, nuanced complexity to both the passing spectator and the distant observer. What might this vast cylindrical volume be, shifting with the light of day and night, evolving with every angle of view?
At night, her appearance transforms into its near opposite. The spectator can only decipher the exterior envelope through dynamic points of colored light across its skin, where pixelated images emerge and dissolve. From within, glowing lights and reflections reveal a vibrant interior life, bringing volumes that were nearly invisible by day into clear focus.
The interior forms a poetic universe of its own—complex, diverse, magnetic, waiting to be discovered.
Sited on an island steeped in evocative history, the SPAC emerges as a new symbol of cultural richness and energy for the city and people of Seoul.
It expresses the vibrant artistic vitality of a flourishing nation.
The exceptional urban scale of the site demands an extraordinary architectural presence to honor its unique character and significance. Nodeul Island receives the distinctive identity it deserves through a striking new emblem and civic program.
The SPAC articulates two main interior volumes—the Opera House and the Concert Hall—stacked in a vertical arrangement, bisected by a primary foyer that frames unobstructed 360-degree panoramic views of Nodeul Island at the heart of the city. These sculptural volumes are encased within the pure, contrasting geometry of a cylindrical envelope wrapped in a semi-transparent metallic screen facade.
Client
Seoul Metropolitan Government
Program
Opera House, Concert hall
Competition Team
1st Stage Team
Designer
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Architects
Anna Ranova LUNDSTROM
Stefan MATTHYS
Matthieu Puyaubreau
Perspectives
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Eric ANTON
Mizuho KISHI
2nd Stage Team
Designer
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Partner
Anna Ranova LUNDSTROM
Stefan MATTHYS
Local Architect Associate
GAMSAM
Architects
Muchan PARK (Gamsam)
Perspectives
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Cyrille THOMAS
Acoustic Engineer
NAGAGA Acoustic
Structure Engineer
ARUP
Facade engineer
RFR
Theater Consultant
Changement a Vue
Model
Model & co
Seoul Metropolitan Government
Program
Opera House, Concert hall
Competition Team
1st Stage Team
Designer
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Architects
Anna Ranova LUNDSTROM
Stefan MATTHYS
Matthieu Puyaubreau
Perspectives
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Eric ANTON
Mizuho KISHI
2nd Stage Team
Designer
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Partner
Anna Ranova LUNDSTROM
Stefan MATTHYS
Local Architect Associate
GAMSAM
Architects
Muchan PARK (Gamsam)
Perspectives
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Cyrille THOMAS
Acoustic Engineer
NAGAGA Acoustic
Structure Engineer
ARUP
Facade engineer
RFR
Theater Consultant
Changement a Vue
Model
Model & co