Paju Book City - Mimesis Museum

Paju Book City - Mimesis Museum

Finally. I have been to my first ever Alvaro Siza building. and now I understand what everyone is talking about. Who knew it would have to take me coming to Korea to see a work of one of the most noted Portuguese architects?

Mimesis Museum, designed by Alvaro Siza Arquitecto, just about 30 km NW of Seoul. It is a book publisher's museum housing his private art collection. It is located in the complex of Paju Book City, a new city where many book publishing companies migrated to in efforts in experimenting with a new type of development. It is built on a former landfill; many architects were chosen to design these individual buildings. Our studio professor, Kim Junsung, took us along for a introductory tour of the area as well as a few of his buildings. Kim Junsung worked hand-in-hand with Siza on the Mimesis Museum, and was humble enough to show us around.

Though, it was finished about two years ago, the museum isn't open yet -- the land use is technically for commercial buildings. I think they will soon be able to get a permit to have this building up and functional. For the time being, television crews rent out the space to film dramas and commercials. In fact, they were filming something when we walked in.