South Korea’s culture ministry has launched an international design competition for a National Museum of World Writing, to be built in on the side of a vast lake in Incheon city.

The 15,650sq m (168,400sq ft) building will dedicated to the collection, conservation, research and exhibition of international writing systems from across the globe. Described by the competition organiser as “an international hub for writing research and policy exchange”, it will feature six galleries, public areas, a multi purpose exhibition hall, lecture rooms and a storage zone.

In a statement, the organising committee said: “The museum will provide the visitors a rich exhibition experience, not only with artefacts including stone carvings, paper documents, recorded media and art work but also with various ICT based medias.”

It added that it wants competing studios to consider how performance and educational spaces can be combined with the exhibition areas, such as in a library, archive and museum hybrid.

The ministry has earmarked a site for the museum in Central Park, which lies at the heart of the Songdo International City – a smart mini metropolis built on land reclaimed from the sea.

The project is conceived as a new landmark for the city that will promote its “diverse social, cultural, and educational values.” It must “have harmony with the existing buildings and natural conditions as well as a clear identity of being a museum.”

Other leisure facilities in the park include restaurants, hotels, a cultural centre, a boat house, a deer farm and a walking trail. A 1,600-capacity, nine-storey concert hall; an opera house with 1,439 seats; and a 20,000sq m (215,200sq ft) culture facility are also being developed in the surrounding area.

Architects wishing to submit designs for the National Museum of World Writing must register via the competition website by 2 June 2017. Entries must then be submitted in September.

A jury including architects Odile Decq and Sou Fujimoto will decide the final winner, who will develop the project further. The runner-up will receive prize money worth KRW 50m (US$44,800; €40,800; £34,700).

South Korea is investing huge finances and resources in its cultural offerings, particularly in its provincial and administrative cities. Other high-profile projects include a National Museum Complex (NMC) of at least five institutions in Sejong, a horse theme park in Yeongcheon, and MVRDV’s Paradise City entertainment plaza near Incheon Airport.

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