A sensory-rich Audeum Museum, designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates in collaboration with visual designer Kenya Hara, is recognized as a recipient of the Special Prize for an Interior at the 2025 Prix Versailles. Often described as the “Oscar” of the architectural world, the ceremony at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris celebrates a structure that is focused on the auditory, olfactory, and tactile dimensions of the visitor experience.
The Prix Versailles and the “Oscar” of Design Achievement
World’s first museum dedicated to the history of sound and audio technology, the Audeum Museum reflects intangible heritage through tangible, high-performance design. The “Oscar” of design showcases the Prix Versailles’ unique judging criteria and its emphasis on intelligent sustainability and ecological efficiency alongside visual splendor. The 2025 ceremony at the UNESCO Headquarters celebrated the Audeum for its interior excellence, placing it among a select group of global landmarks that demonstrate how architecture can serve as a bridge between people and their cultural memory.
The jury, chaired by former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, highlighted that architecture is inseparable from culture while explaining how Audeum succeeds in fostering identity by treating sound as a central feature of human history. The Audeum was one of only seven museums worldwide shortlisted for these honors, competing against significant cultural projects such as Norway’s Kunstsilo and the United States’ Joslyn Art Museum.
From Object to Experience
The museum’s architectural language is rooted in the idea that sound reproduction technology is not just a technical matter but a sensory and cultural experience that has evolved over 150 years. To preserve that legacy, the architecture becomes an active participant in the playback of the artifacts it houses. Kengo Kuma’s philosophy on Natural Architecture focuses on using materials that dissolve the boundaries between the human body and the built environment.
The design team used sound as the object and medium of design, contrasting with the architecture of gazing in traditional museums. The Audeum Museum features a sensory hierarchy where sound takes precedence, followed by touch, smell, and light, with visual observation. This approach aligns with the UNESCO-backed criteria of the Prix Versailles, which rewards architecture that provides a soothing, restorative setting.
The Urban Veil of 20,000 Tubes
The exterior of the Audeum Museum, located in Seoul’s Seocho-gu district, creates an immediate visual and acoustic statement. Spanning 11,009 square meters, the space is distributed across ten floors, five above ground and five below. This scale of separation caters to diverse acoustic environments and the housing of massive historical artifacts.
The facade is a striking skin of approximately 20,000 vertical aluminum pipes arranged in an intentionally irregular pattern, mimicking random patterns found in nature. The interiors are designed for specific sonic content, where a basement fabric lounge uses parametric fabric designs to create a three-dimensional acoustic environment.
Kenya Hara’s Collaboration and Visual Identity
The gallery features a collection of 150 years of audio technology, from Edison phonographs to mid-century hi-fi systems. The philosophy of emptiness is integrated with the insightful contribution of Japanese designer Kenya Hara, known for his leadership at MUJI and the Nippon Design Center. He described the exterior aluminum pipes as music paused in midair, a visual metaphor that carries into the museum’s signage and interior wayfinding.
Photo Credits: ©︎ Lee Namsun, Lee Yongbaek, Taiki Fukao
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