The Winners!
SENSORY MUSEUM 2023
First Prize Winners
Yejin Jeon, Yuna Kim & Seongeun Kim
South Korea
Introduction
Yejin Jeon: Hello, I’m yejin jeon, majoring in Interior Architectural Design at Kaywon University of Art & Design. Our team has chosen to participate in the 2023 Sensory Museum Design Competition for a school project. It's a topic we were eager to explore, and we saw this as an opportunity to showcase our innovative ideas. We believe this competition provides a platform for us to express our creativity and present a new perspective.
Yeonah Kim: Hello. I am Yeonah Kim, currently enrolled in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at University of Kaywon in South Korea. I have always been intrigued by the challenge of visualizing and bringing to life abstract concepts. Upon reading the overview of the Sensory Museum, I saw it as an excellent opportunity to explore and present my design ideas and personal style. This inspired me to participate in the project.
Seongeun Kim: Hello. I am Seong-eun Kim, currently enrolled in the Department of Interior Architecture at Kaywon School of Art & Design University in South Korea. Over the past four years, I have immersed myself in various studies related to architecture and interior design. Throughout my academic journey, I have come to realize that design extends beyond creating aesthetically pleasing spaces. It involves considering both users and the environment, responding to environmental changes, and addressing various societal demands. This understanding has added significant allure to the field for me, as I find great appeal in the ability to unfold my designs by considering spaces not only as visually pleasing but also as environments for users. The inspiration for our participation in this competition stemmed from the purpose of the Sensory Museum, encapsulated in the statement, 'Diverse architectural spaces and their impact on human senses.' Recognizing it as an opportunity for further growth, we believe that this competition provides a chance to expand our horizons and enhance our capabilities. That's why we decided to participate in this competition.
Design Concept
Yejin Jeon: We have chosen the concept of Dante's Divine Comedy to design a sensory experience. Drawing inspiration from Dante's journey in the Divine Comedy, we endeavored to create a space where visitors embark on a sensory journey by incorporating the stages of Dante's departure into the design. The concept of our journey with Dante encapsulates the process in which individuals undergo personal growth and reflection through their senses and experiences. The extensive content of Dante's Divine Comedy posed challenges in condensing and integrating it into the spatial design. However, by establishing three major sequences representing Dante's Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, these stages were reinterpreted within the space. Through the reinterpreted space, our aim was to facilitate self-discovery, awareness, and enlightenment.
Yeonah Kim: The sensory museum we envisioned aimed for collective participation, where each participant explores their essence together. Drawing inspiration from Dante's Divine Comedy, we sought clues in extreme situations to intensify senses. Titled "Journey with Dante," the museum guides visitors through three stages of sensory transformation, stimulating emotions to help them realize the undiscovered essence and nature of senses. In the design process, the challenge lay in implementing a space reliant on emotions and sensations, yet we succeeded by leveraging visual constraints to maximize sensory experiences.
Seongeun Kim: In our view, emotions are extensively utilized and considered essential in all activities of our daily lives. However, in modern society, there is a tendency to excessively emphasize rationality, suppressing and neglecting the connection between sensory experiences and emotions. Consequently, this inclination can lead to the dismissal of sensory cues, making it challenging to comprehend and embrace one's own emotions. Therefore, drawing inspiration from Dante's Divine Comedy, we aimed to provide a multifaceted process of self-realization and introspection through sensory experiences in our Sensory Museum design. We believe that individuals can discover themselves and navigate life in various directions by understanding and embracing their emotions. Interpreting Dante's journey through the three stages, we planned our design to induce a genuine confrontation with one's essence, fostering self-awareness and realization. Through the stages of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradiso, we sought to guide individuals to a profound understanding of their true selves. By utilizing the narrative structure of Dante's Divine Comedy, our design aims to facilitate a genuine confrontation with one's essence, promoting self-awareness and enlightenment in the journey through the Sensory Museum.
Sensory Architecture Significance
Yejin Jeon: Sensibility is a means to physically feel architecture. In Dante's Divine Comedy, water can be seen as a symbol of purification, carrying messages of purification, repentance, and hope. Therefore, we designed the sensory museum on the lake, where water is always present in the space, symbolizing purification. We endeavored to bring the surrounding natural environment into the space to stimulate people's senses and allow them to experience the space.
Yeonah Kim: From a psychological perspective, we understood that individuals realize control over their senses, accentuated through intense emotions, leading to a heightened emphasis on the senses themselves. Consequently, we propose a narrative space by concurrently experiencing emotion and sensation, using Dante's Divine Comedy as the theme. Visitors navigate spaces with varying levels, engaging in tactile, auditory, and olfactory experiences through visual control. The intentional release of visual control in the final stage aims to provide a sense of relief.
Seongeun Kim: When visualizing the concept of the journey with Dante, we thought of a symbolic element deeply connected to death: the tomb. The exterior, resembling a massive tomb in stark contrast to the surrounding environment, is designed to evoke thoughts of death. Visitors are encouraged to enter the tomb to experience sensations. Inside, a continuously repeating path appears due to mirrors, emphasizing visual and tactile elements, creating an experience that prompts visitors to question and confront their senses. In the second stage, we used two spatial devices, silhouette, and shadow, to evoke existential unease. As visitors navigate through spaces that interfere with both sight and hearing, they are led to move towards the exit, questioning the correctness of their choices or existence in a context where their visual and auditory senses are disrupted. Upon entering the last stage, having traversed the confusing and unsettling previous stages, visitors walk through illuminated water, facing nature. Our intention was to create a space that awakens the senses, providing assistance for contemplating one's existence, which is unclear and in constant reflection on oneself, in the first two stages. The ultimate goal was to offer enlightenment in the last stage, allowing visitors to confront a new version of themselves.
Sustainability Integration
Yejin Jeon: We designed the museum on Lake Homyeong, an artificial reservoir created for hydroelectric power generation. We aimed to integrate the water from the lake into the space to coexist with nature. Positioned on a plateau, the museum harmonizes with the surrounding natural environment since the lake is located at a high elevation. To preserve the natural surroundings to the fullest extent, we conducted the design on the mostly vacant land around Lake Homyeong. Considering the limited accessibility to urban areas, we opted to create the sensory museum on the lake, encouraging people to visit and contribute to the activation of the local economy. As the lake's vicinity consists of mountainous terrain with minimal infrastructure, we believe that by experiencing the museum and exploring the area, visitors can potentially stimulate economic activity in the surrounding regions
Yeonah Kim: The museum, nestled in nature, was conceived with an iconic design. Taking sustainability into account, the space is designed to emit light progressively over time. The white rectangular monument, harmonizing with nature, symbolizes enduring alongside the changing environment, and will gracefully blend into any environmental shifts.
Seongeun Kim: To apply sustainable design principles to the Sensory Museum, we aimed to maximize the use of the site. Homyeong Lake, located in Cheong pyeong, South Korea, is surrounded by nature. We believed that this natural setting could offer visitors a serene space for reflection and evaluation, away from worldly disturbances. Instead of developing the terrain to create space, we designed the museum on one corner of the lake, integrating with nature, creating an environment that feels like a part of the natural landscape. Recognizing that moving towards a more sustainable direction in design requires considering and adapting to the environment and its changes, we incorporated our design into the Sensory Museum. This involved taking into account the site's surroundings and aiming for a harmonious integration of human design and natural elements for a sustainable future.
Design Evolution
Yejin Jeon: Initially, we began designing the museum with a simple museum-like concept. However, upon revisiting the overview, we discovered the keyword "Journey of the Senses." While contemplating how to unfold the process of this journey, Dante's Divine Comedy came to mind. Taking Dante's Divine Comedy as our motif, we redesigned the sensory museum from the ground up. The initial sketch featured a linear sequence with five stages, but we hoped for the exterior of our building to take the form of a tomb, contrasting with the natural environment. As a result, we reduced the stages from five to three, and the exterior took the shape of a square cube structure, concealing the internal layout.
Yeonah Kim: We deemed self-awareness essential for realizing the senses. Starting from the difficulty of defining the senses without recognizing the ever-present sensation, we synchronized Dante's Divine Comedy, encompassing self-reflection and self-realization, into the sensory museum through progressive spaces. After establishing a direction, we actively utilized devices like mirrors, mist, and water to enable the simultaneous experience of sensation and emotion.
Seongeun Kim: We approached the design with the title 'Journey with Dante.' In the initial design, we envisioned a sequence experiencing the museum through five stages. However, to grasp the essence of sensation, we felt the need for a more concise approach. Therefore, we defined Dante's Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradiso with a single sentence each, designing the space to be experienced through various senses. As a result, we structured the experience of the Sensory Museum as a story of growth, where individuals go through the museum, experiencing different sensations.
When considering elements that would play a crucial role in achieving the sensory goals of the design, we thought of water, one of the important elements in Dante's work. Here, the element of water conveys the meanings of purification and hope, representing psychological and spiritual significance while inducing sensory stimulation. In each stage, we incorporated water to stimulate the senses through interactions like feeling, walking through, and contemplating water. The journey concludes by gazing at the lake in the last stage, fostering a sense of self-awareness through the sensory experience.
Community and Environmental Impact
Yejin Jeon: Our space is designed to facilitate self-reflection, awareness, and personal growth. The site for our building is Lake Homyeong in Cheongpyeong, South Korea. Positioned atop a mountain, the lake is surrounded by nature, providing an environment away from worldly distractions. We believe that this tranquil setting offers visitors a suitable space for introspection. While accessibility may be limited due to its distance from urban areas, we aimed to design a museum in the midst of nature where people seeking solace or wanting to understand themselves can quietly contemplate and reflect.
Yeonah Kim: Located at the picturesque Hoengho Lake, our sensory museum is a special place for those seeking to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. By experiencing the sensory museum here, visitors can dramatically appreciate the landscape in the final stage. They come to realize the essence of sensation in nature and, upon leaving this space, discover a new aspect of themselves, evolving to a more advanced self—a unique space for self-discovery.
Seongeun Kim: The Sensory Museum we designed is, as intended from the beginning, a space that serves as a turning point for modern individuals living their daily lives to reconsider themselves. We envisioned this museum, located in nature amidst the urban hustle, as a place for people to find confidence and growth. Through this design, we hope urban dwellers can experience assurance and personal development within the natural setting of the Sensory Museum. Participating in this competition has further solidified our belief that, through design, spaces can play a role in providing people with new perspectives and capturing significant moments in life.
Guidance for Aspiring Designers
Yejin Jeon: I believe that humanities are essential not only in sensory architectural design but also in various other designs. Experiencing and delving into diverse humanities can broaden one's perspective. I think the content of various disciplines, not just humanities, can play a significant role in applying to design.
Yeonah Kim: I want to convey to designers aspiring to create innovative spaces to trust their ideas, constantly question themselves, and maintain a sense of curiosity. Despite initial concerns from the surroundings, we believed in our concept inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, analyzed and questioned it with our team, and ultimately succeeded, reinforcing the importance of trusting our innovative approach.
Seongeun Kim: While studying design, what I've realized is the importance of being adaptable to various conditions. Therefore, I believe that my habit of observing everything in daily life, which I usually passed by without much thought, allows me to approach design with a fresh perspective. The diverse experiences I've accumulated so far lead me to believe that they will be beneficial someday. Hence, I would advise not focusing on just one thing but exploring various attempts and experiences. I attribute the success of this project to diversity, as it is the culmination of these accumulated experiences.
Reflections on Winning
Yejin Jeon: We are truly delighted to have achieved good results in participating in the 2023 Sensory Museum Design Competition.
We didn't want to provide a straightforward experience of the five senses. Instead, we pondered extensively on how to experience the senses. We aimed for diverse sensations and emotions that individuals feel while experiencing the elements of the space. Through the interaction with these sensations, we hoped to offer a rich experience, allowing people to gain a new perspective.
Yeonah Kim: Achieving significant accomplishments in the field of architecture has been a truly grateful and unforgettable experience. While understanding sensation itself, describing it in words has been challenging. Through the question, 'How would you define sensation?' we hope that experiencing our space allows individuals to personally realize what sensation is. By understanding the concept of sensation through personal experiences and rediscovering forgotten senses, we anticipate that the audience will gain a broader perspective. Thank you.
Seongeun Kim: Throughout my four years of school life, the idea of constantly challenging myself and growing felt a bit burdensome. However, through this competition, I gained the confidence to look back at the projects I've done with more assurance. In the future, I will exert even more effort to ensure that the designs I envision become known to a broader audience. Participating in this competition, which focused on the element of sensation, has been a grateful experience. I hope that, like the purpose of our Sensory Museum, those reading this can reflect on aspects of themselves they may have suppressed and gain new perspectives on important moments in life.
Second Prize Winners
Chuchu Chen
U.S.
My name is Chuchu Chen. I graduated with a master's degree from the Rhode Island School of Design this year, and I completed my undergraduate studies at the China Academy of Art. I am currently working as an architectural designer in Los Angeles. I have a cross-disciplinary background in landscape, interior, and architecture, and I firmly believe that there should be no boundaries among these three disciplines. Furthermore, I am highly sensitive to the relationship between architecture and the environment. I believe that architecture is an integral part of the environment, rather than a means to disconnect people from their surroundings.
Third Prize Winners
Pranav Batra, Deepanjana Das & Het Parikh
India
Introduction
We are the students of school of Planning and architecture, in Delhi, India.
Our team consists of
Deepanjana Das
Het Parikh
Pranav Batra
We started our design journey together in 2020 when we joined this college for our undergraduate degree.
Our collective experiences and challenges have enriched our understanding and empathy towards our users, serving as a significant catalyst in our endeavour to conceive multifaceted architectural projects that contribute meaningful value in the dynamic world of architecture.
Design Concept
Despite of being devoid of The sensory approach through taste, the museum indulges all other senses. Not just limiting to the visitor of the museum, but the viewer of the project has their senses involved and evoked just by very glimpse of it.
Sensory Architecture Significance
Our design centers on two psychological worldviews of trauma survivors: succumbing to despair or overcoming adversity with determination. We've created two distinct paths in the museum that represent these experiences through sensory engagement, focusing on auditory, visual, and olfactory elements. This design aims to convey the essence of these two philosophies.
To create an immersive experience, we utilized various elements. We manipulated lighting, incorporated natural daylight, and used both light and dark spaces to engage the visual senses. We also employed captivating color schemes and compositions. For sound, we introduced clinking broken glass and the sound of ocean waves, which served as a navigational guide. As for the sense of smell, the consistent scent of cherry blossoms united the design, offering visitors a unique olfactory journey. These design innovations combined to craft an alternate reality within this sensory odyssey.
Sustainability Integration
Incorporating sustainable design principles into our Sensory Museum in Japan was a meticulous process. To minimize embodied carbon, we utilized locally sourced rocks on site for the labyrinth pathway and the spirit of life was sculpted with rocks from the nearby sea, reducing our environmental footprint. Additionally, we repurposed crockery pieces from waste materials, ensuring sustainability in our exhibits.Also site selection played an important role for the construction of the museum. The museum's walls are constructed from natural materials, and we adorned them with local species of flowers, promoting biodiversity and regional culture. To harness natural light effectively, we integrated translucent walls, reducing the need for artificial lighting and energy consumption. While sustainability integration posed challenges, we strived to engage visitors' senses in an environmentally conscious manner, offering a unique, eco-friendly museum experience.
Design Evolution
The idea started with a goal to create a landmark commemorating a cause, telling a story of human resilience, survival, and triumph. We introduced the concept of kintsugi, symbolizing optimism, the golden thread connecting fates, and the light after tragedy.
After kintsugi, we moved to Japan, a land plagued by natural disasters throughout history. Despite the hardships, the human spirit perseveres. Survivors face the choice of succumbing to despair or moving forward with strength to conquer past adversities.
So we focused on this duality of the human psyche and translated them into two principal pathways within this museum-
The labyrinth of grief-
The place initially seems tempting and short at first, but as you explore it, you encounter a perilous journey filled with constant cracks, the sound of broken glass, and an eerie atmosphere as you move on and on in an endless spiral. Occasional whiffs of cherry blossoms offer fleeting comfort, symbolizing hope just out of reach. The path mirrors the challenging journey of overcoming trauma.
horizons of hope-
Another opening reveals a seemingly longer but straightforward path, symbolizing patience. Visitors following this route find themselves on a sky bridge with a golden handrail, offering a panoramic view through transparent walls. The experience emphasizes the power of nature as the ultimate equalizer, but rising above it brings a sense of tranquility, accompanied by the soothing sound of ocean waves.
At the end the visitors would reach the final central installation, leading them to the end of the circle of life.
Community and Environmental Impact
Targeting to involve the entire contextual community was a primary objective during the design process which hence lead to selection of Japan as the site for design where they share a mutual theme, which brings everyone together to come out of those miseries collectively. So the design provides with an optimistic approach towards their melancholies.
Therefore, incorporation of multiple sensory approaches makes this transition more efficient and with a profound eternal impacts
Guidance for Aspiring Designers
In offering advice to aspiring designers interested in crafting innovative and sensory-rich architectural spaces like those in sensory museums, I would emphasize several key factors based on my experience. First and foremost, it's essential to approach the concept with precision and creativity. Understanding the site and its contextual elements is paramount, as this knowledge will guide the design decisions and create a profound connection between the museum and its surroundings. Furthermore, seamless incorporation of the senses is vital for the success of any design project in sensory architecture. Designers should consider how to engage each sense in a harmonious and captivating manner, ensuring a smooth and immersive experience for visitors. Leveraging the power of natural elements, such as sunlight, water, and earth, can greatly enhance the sensory experience. These elements hold a profound connection with people, making their use a means to create more meaningful interactions within the space. Cultural integration is another valuable aspect to consider. By infusing elements of local culture, designers can deepen the authenticity and emotional resonance of the sensory experience, enabling visitors to connect with the museum on a cultural and personal level. Above all, the quality of space is pivotal. Design should encompass the entire museum as a holistic sensory journey. Attention to layout, flow, and aesthetics is crucial to ensuring the space effectively emphasizes the intended sensory experience and resonates with visitors on multiple levels. In summary, aspiring designers should focus on concept, sensory integration, natural elements, cultural relevance, and the overall quality of space to create successful and unforgettable architectural spaces that captivate and engage visitors.
Reflections on Winning
It feels amazing to be in top 3 in this competition we look forward to participate more and improve it was a great experience creating this museum. We are really grateful to the jurors to provide us with their valuable feedback on our work.Being specific to sensory design approach in architecture, when creating a space a sense of connection with the space and belonging in imaginary terms is vital to create a balanced, decipherable and a meaningful experience for the visitors as indulging of the senses play a pivotal role in any space.
Special mention
Mahtab Zohourian Vahidbaghban & Mina Rasouli
Iran
Honorable mention
Chenxing Du & Jiaxuan Qin
Sharayu Vinchurkar
Raj Pillai
Yu Wen Ng
Chenxing Du & Jiaxuan Qin
China
Sharayu Vinchurkar
India
Raj Pillai
India
Yu Wen Ng
Singapore
