South Korean architect Moon Hoon has designed an unusually-formed museum dedicated to the folk story of Pinocchio.

The client, an avid collector of Pinocchio dolls, wanted a museum and gallery on the outskirts of Seoul where her collection could be experienced and explained.

The museum complex, called Pino Familia, is formed of three buildings in close proximity, which surround a grassed inner court containing a sky-train, a pond and a large Pinocchio statue. A forest lies to the north, and a dense suburban area to the south.

The first, called Wave and Whale, has been designed to house the main doll museum galleries. The inspiration for the form comes from the dramatic twist in the Pinocchio legend when he is swallowed by a whale. The curvilinear structure evokes a whale and a wave combining. Inside there is a seating area where visitors can observe cultural performances. A narrow, explorable crawl space has been created between the large and small stepped seats to create a sense of playfulness and adventure.

An open-air concave crater lies at the heart of the structure, and can host outdoor-indoor performances in good weather.

The second building, called Whale Tale, celebrates the character involved in the Pinocchio legend, and features a larger viewing area for films, concerts and other congregational uses. The form of the structure is again inspired by Pinocchio’s whale. The ‘tail’ of the whale acts as a skylight, the double height ‘body’ space is upheld by steel hanging columns and houses the galleries, while the ‘head’ is home to the auditorium.

The third building, called the Nose Fountain, accommodates a museum shop, cafeteria and workshop. Again, a curvilinear structure and curved windows and balcony create an abstract form. A water fountain features in the building’s ‘nose’, providing active sound and movement that contrasts with the still surrounding environment.

“The cost estimate for a clean and immaculate finish turned out to be too expensive, so a rough hand-built quality of the surfaces was expected from the beginning,” said the architects in a statement. “The patterns of the buildings relied heavily on the aesthetic and functional eye of the carpenters.

“The final products evoke many different textures, and together somehow resemble the spaceship from [Ridley Scott’s sci-fi] movie Prometheus.