"350,000 Artifacts in One Place" ... 'Seoul City Integrated Storage Facility' Construction Kicks Off

Creation of a 9,000㎡ Complex Cultural Space Including Conservation Treatment Room and Experience Center in Hoengseong, Gangwon

Perspective view of the 'Seoul Metropolitan Integrated Storage Facility' to be built in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul City announced on the 23rd that it will actively proceed with the construction project of an open integrated storage facility to house 350,000 collections from municipal museums and art galleries.

The Seoul City integrated storage facility, which has been promoted since 2016, went through two years of preliminary procedures including investment review, and held a design competition last year. As a result, the final winner of the international design competition was selected on the 18th of this month. According to the schedule, it is planned to be built by July 2022 on a total site area of 44,615㎡ at 550 Dugok-ri, Ucheon-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, with a total floor area of 9,000㎡.

The integrated storage facility will consist of various facilities where preservation, restoration, repair, and exhibition of artifacts are carried out in an integrated manner. Depending on the material and size of the consigned artifacts, a general storage facility (1,800㎡) will store collections that are not sensitive to environmental changes using adjustable shelving, and a special storage facility (1,800㎡) maintaining constant temperature and humidity will be prepared at the same scale to store items sensitive to environmental changes such as pottery or film.

In the 1,215㎡ conservation treatment room, equipment and specialists that are difficult to secure at individual cultural facilities, such as 3D scanners, X-ray transmission inspection devices, and fumigation machines, will be equipped to systematically and integrally support the preservation treatment, restoration, and repair of consigned artifacts.

The integrated storage facility will also be developed as a complex cultural space that is not simply a place to store artifacts but offers experiences of the entire artifact preservation process, permanent exhibitions, and educational programs. In the permanent exhibition hall (900㎡), special exhibitions using internal collections will be held quarterly with set themes, and the large outdoor exhibition space (5,000㎡) will be developed as a complex outdoor exhibition area that periodically displays large artifacts such as tombstones and chariots, as well as installation art works.

In Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, where the integrated storage facility will be located, additional infrastructure such as roads and public parking lots will be secured, and plans include establishing new bus routes linked to Hoengseong KTX Station and Hoengseong Intercity Bus Terminal, as well as operating city tour buses.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of Seoul City’s Cultural Headquarters, stated, "The integrated storage facility will play a central role in the systematic management and preservation of Seoul’s historical and cultural resources as a solid cultural infrastructure supporting the 'Museum City, Seoul.' We hope it will become a valuable cultural resource and tourist attraction as a living open storage facility that communicates with citizens, not a lifeless warehouse."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.