Tae-jip Kim / Republic of Korea

Space filled with the past and future of Ulsan

Ulsan is a representative industrial city in Korea that has driven the country’s industrial growth breakthrough, and home to the Hyundai Motor Company plant, the single largest auto plant in the world. Aside from being a major industrial city, it is also a historical and cultural city with a great abundance of relics from the prehistoric era.

The building’s façade highlights the historical and cultural aspects of the city. From the main entrance you will see a gigantic stone wall that looks like a crosssection of a deep valley. This great stonewall (length: 75m, height: 16m) is a replica of the Petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace (National Treasure No. 285), a representative prehistoric relic in Ulsan. To the side of the petroglyph is the museum’s entrance, which will take tourists on a historical tour.

Another feature of the museum is the long box-shaped structure that stretches from the grounds behind the museum to the front. This rectangular structure is finished with stainless steel panels. The structure and finishing material symbolize the “industrial power” of Ulsan and its future as a city that will continue to prosper, says the architect. In particular, the stainless steel box protruding from the large stone wall embodies Ulsan, where both the present and the future coexist.

The back and roof of the museum were designed to harmonize with the surrounding terrain. Ulsan Museum’s rooftop garden is connected to the Ulsan Grand Park, creating a superb ecosystem. Such design reflects the metropolitan city government’s philosophy of creating an “Ecopolis.”

TIP : Petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace is a 7,000 yearold historical site from the Neolithic Era. Approximately 300 images are carved into the rocks. In particular, the whale hunting image is
said to be the oldest of its kind in existence.