Mimesis Museum
Álvaro Siza

February 21, 2011 /

Paju Book City

Photo: Duccio Malagamba

The Mimesis Museum, housing a book publisher's private art collection, is located in Paju Book City, a new town 30 km from Seoul.

Photo: Duccio Malagamba

The flowing concrete form, that wraps around a central courtyard, was inspired by a sketch of a cat that Siza drew upon arriving at the site.

With that sketch, the idea for the building was there, drawn in one movement, one gesture/Carlos Castanheira

Photo: Duccio Malagamba

The walls are almost windowless with most of the light coming through rafted ceilings, whose shapes form a counterpoint to the curved walls, with skylights spilling out from over their edges. The walls and ceilings are whitewashed, the floors marble and oak.

Photo: Duccio Malagamba

The three-story building has services in the basement, temporary exhibition galleries and reception on the ground floor, overlooked by a mezzanine with a cafeteria and staff area, and the main exhibition spaces on the first floor.

Sketch courtesy Álvaro Siza

Model photo courtesy Álvaro Siza

Drawing courtesy Álvaro SizaSite Plan

Drawing courtesy Álvaro SizaGround Floor Plan

Drawing courtesy Álvaro SizaFirst Floor Plan

Drawing courtesy Álvaro SizaSecond Floor Plan

Drawing courtesy Álvaro SizaRoof Plan

Drawing courtesy Álvaro SizaSections

Paju Book City was designed in 1999 by the Architecture Research Unit dedicated to the publishing industry.

I didn't have as much context as I would like with which I could create a dialogue, I only had a site plan, so I had to concentrate on creating an atmosphere for the building./Álvaro Siza (Referring to the problem of building for a new town where your neighbors haven't even been designed yet.)