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UDAD 2018 Cultural

National Museum of World Writing by Street Studio.LA

The writing museum, as a landmark that connects humans to writing  systems, is designed to reveal the development of writing through the movement of the visitors. Circulation is used as“ carving” or“ engraving” into the walls of the main hall.

Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2018
Second Award | Category: Cultural
Architects: Dechen Zeng
Studio Name: Street Studio.LA
Team Members: William Taylor, Dechen Zeng, Yuqing Zhao, Zhuo Wang
Country: South Korea
Website:
www.streetstudio.la

Through the development of writing systems, information is encoded in the sequence of strokes. When writing is performed, the human hand moves through the sequence of strokes and reveals meaning through time. The performance of writing or calligraphy is a linear process that generates characters that form writing system. The continuous hand movement during writing creates the directionality and time sequencing of the strokes.

As a presentation of a writing system, calligraphy connects humans and information. The trace of cursive on paper not only signifies the process of making the system but also reveals the historical development of the writing system. Sharing the same quality with cursive calligraphy, the museum is divided by two directional chasms through time, left with an intersecting moment. The architectural moment of the intersection signifies the making process of the architecture as well as the process of writing.

The main chasm is a double height space from the west side to the east side, connecting public (café, retail, ticketing) and private programs (education, office). The secondary chasm is from north to south, forming the north entrance and the south skylight. The intersection of the two chasm forms the lobby and public gathering space. The architectural moment of the intersection reveals the linear making process of the museum, giving the visitor a viewpoint to trace back and look forward. Moving through the museum, the visitors are able to create a continuous experience of the writing process.