| Title |
The Material Expression of Ma and the Characteristics of Spatial Branding |
| Authors |
박재우(Park, JaeWoo) ; 김동헌(Kim, Donghun) ; 윤성호(Yoon, Sung-Ho) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.14774/JKIID.2026.35.5.064 |
| Keywords |
Ma; Material Expression; Spatial Branding; Kengo Kuma; Museum; Exhibition Space |
| Abstract |
This study examines how the Japanese spatial concept of Ma (間), understood as a relational interval rather than an empty void, is materialized in museums and exhibition spaces designed by Kengo Kuma and how these material operations are related to spatial branding characteristics. Place branding addresses the identity of cities and regions, whereas spatial branding in this study concerns the identity of an individual architectural space formed through material, boundary, movement, and sensory organization. Four cases?Stone Museum, GC Prostho Museum Research Center, Nezu Museum, and Audeum?were selected according to their exhibition-related function, distinct material expression, and availability of drawings, photographs, literature, or field data. Nezu Museum and Audeum were examined through field observation, while the other two cases were analyzed through published documents and images. The material expression of Ma was examined through four types: void-buffering, particle-filtering, nature-mediating, and sensory-integrating. The analysis distinguishes dominant, evident, partial, and indeterminate expressions rather than assuming the equal presence of all types. The results indicate that each case is characterized by a different dominant operation: transitional voids in Stone Museum, repeated timber units in GC Prostho Museum Research Center, the mediation of architecture and garden in Nezu Museum, and multisensory material contrast in Audeum. These findings are interpreted as spatial conditions that may contribute to material memory, tectonic identity, sequential experience, and multisensory atmosphere. This study does not empirically verify user perception or branding effects. |