Project Info
Company: MAA - Melike Altınışık Architects
Project name: Seoul Robot & AI Museum (RAIM)
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Designer/ Architect: Melike Altınışık, MAA Design Team
Architect of Record: MAA-MELIKE ALTINISIK ARCHITECTS + WITHWORKS Architects & Engineers
Stakeholder / Owner: Seoul Metropolitan Government
In the heart of Seoul, the world’s first Robot & AI Museum blurs the line between exhibit and architecture. Designed by MAA - Melike Altınışık Architects, RAIM is more than a showcase of cutting-edge technology - it is built by it, shaped by it, and alive with it, offering visitors an immersive glimpse into the innovations shaping tomorrow.
Founded in Istanbul in 2013 by visionary architect Melike Altınışık, MAA has built an international reputation for forward-thinking, technology-driven design. With offices in both Istanbul and Seoul, the studio’s work consistently bridges architecture, nature, and cutting-edge innovation. Altınışık herself is a graduate of Istanbul Technical University and the Architectural Association’s Design Research Laboratory, and her career includes time at Zaha Hadid Architects. She has been recognized with numerous accolades, including Europe 40 Under 40, the BAKSI Architecture Contribution Award, and inclusion in RIBA’s “100 Women: Architects in Practice”. Under her leadership, MAA has delivered landmark projects such as the Istanbul TV-Radio Tower and now, the newly opened Seoul Robot & AI Museum.
Melike Altınışık - Founder of MAA
A Vision Born from Competition
The story of RAIM began in 2019, when MAA won an international competition organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The brief was ambitious: create the world’s first museum dedicated entirely to robotics and artificial intelligence - an institution that would not only showcase technological progress but also embody it in every aspect of its design and construction. Completed in 2024 after five years of meticulous planning and execution, RAIM spans four above-ground stories and two basement levels, totaling 7,400 m². Its exterior form breaks free from conventional geometry. Designed as a smooth, fluid sphere with no clear front or back, it symbolically reflects the limitless, multidirectional nature of AI and robotics. This deliberate ambiguity also invites visitors to approach the building from any direction, much like the open-ended pathways of technological discovery itself.
Section view of RAIM’s multi-level exhibition and public spaces
Where Architecture Meets Technology
What sets RAIM apart from other museums is its integration of advanced technologies into the construction process itself. Robot-assisted welding, CNC laser machining, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and off-site prefabrication were essential in achieving the building’s precise curvature and seamless finish. Even the museum’s central vertical exhibition tunnel was assembled with aerospace-grade techniques, creating a dramatic spatial sequence that dissolves the line between the physical and the digital.
Inside, RAIM is not a passive container for exhibits - it is part of the story. Intelligent systems regulate lighting, climate, and visitor flow, while immersive installations respond to movement and presence, turning the act of exploration into a dynamic interaction. The result is a museum experience where the architecture itself feels alive, continually adapting to the activities within.
Exterior view of RAIM’s futuristic, fluid form in Seoul’s Chang-dong Sanggye District
A Cultural and Technological Catalyst
RAIM’s location in Chang-dong Sanggye is strategic. Positioned alongside the Seoul Museum of Photography and a startup-cultural complex, the museum sits at the heart of an urban redevelopment plan that aims to transform the district into a hub for culture, creativity, and technological innovation. While Tokyo’s Miraikan and Dubai’s Museum of the Future present advanced technology within striking architectural statements, RAIM distinguishes itself by making the building a functioning exhibit in its own right. It does not simply house technology; it demonstrates it, using its structure and systems as a working example of the very fields it celebrates.
An AI-powered robotic receptionist welcomes visitors inside RAIM
Looking Toward Tomorrow
For MAA, RAIM is envisioned as more than a one-off project. Melike Altınışık describes it as the “mothership” of future satellite museums - adaptive, interactive spaces that can evolve alongside advancements in AI and robotics. This vision reflects a broader shift in cultural architecture: the move from static repositories of information to dynamic platforms for ongoing innovation. In opening RAIM, Seoul positions itself as a global leader in integrating technology into public cultural spaces. The museum offers a compelling example of what happens when architectural ambition meets technological possibility, creating a landmark that not only symbolizes the Fourth Industrial Revolution but actively participates in it.
Sleek, open lobby space designed for interaction and exploration
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