White marble steps at art gallery, for whom?
- Jisook Bae
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
Leeum is inarguably one of best art galleries in Korea. Under the sponsorship of Samsung’s founding Lee family – the name is the compound of the “Lee” family name and museum – the museum is loved by many people in and out of Korea.
Last weekend, I found something I didn’t expect. The staircase—some call it the Rotunda. A white marble stairway linking the top to the bottom floor, with many people taking photos by the neon on the ground floor.
I was a bit shocked. The steps looked like they had no safety measures. I couldn’t see non-slip strips or nosing. I couldn’t see clear visual contrast between treads. On a rainy day or with slick shoes (it happens), that’s a hazard. If you can’t read the edge of each step, you can misstep and fall.
Staff do guide you to use the elevators going up. But there’s no guide going down, and you naturally take the big staircase unless you already feel you shouldn’t.
To check if my concern makes sense, I looked at Korea’s accessibility rules/guidelines for public buildings. Museums are counted as “exhibition facilities,” and when the floor area used that way is 500㎡ or more, accessibility installations are required. Leeum is far above that threshold.
What the code expects (plain English, translated by ChatGTP to remove my bias)
Floor finish: stairs should have a non-slip, even surface.
Stair nosing: add anti-slip treatment (grooves, rubber/plastic nosing, or non-slip tape). Nosing color can contrast with the step for visibility. Nosing shouldn’t stick out more than 3 cm.
Tactile warning: at top and bottom, a 0.3 m strip of raised “dot” tiles (or a clearly different texture) to signal the stair to people with visual impairments.
Handrails: continuous on both sides, with a 0.3 m horizontal extension at top and bottom; Braille/tactile labels at ends/turns.
Fall protection: if there’s a side guard/handrail, include a toe-board at least 2 cm high.
Step geometry: within one flight, sizes should be uniform; typical limits used are tread ≥ about 0.28–0.30 m and riser ≤ about 0.18 m, depending on the table applied.
Clear width: ≥ 1.2 m (landings included); outdoor escape stairs can be ≥ 0.9 m.
From what I saw, the step sizes, width, and handrails looked okay. But I didn’t see non-slip finishing or nosing, no tactile warning at the top or bottom (in every six-10 steps only), and no side toe-board. That’s how it appeared during my visit; it’s possible some treatments are subtle (etched stone, integrated nosing, edge lighting) and I simply missed them. Either way, the communication on the downward route was thin.
For context, Leeum’s complex is by three star architects—Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas—and the rotunda stair is part of that big architectural statement. I don’t know if this particular spec was the museum’s call (and architects had to live with it) or the architects’ own choice (aesthetics first). But if the design downplays visible safety features, then inclusive communication has to step up.
Inclusive design meets inclusive communication
If the stair must stay as-is for aesthetic reasons, the museum can still lower risk and anxiety:
Wayfinding at the rotunda (top and bottom): a short, high-contrast sign that tells you the safest way down and where the elevators are.
Context note: if interventions are subtle or intentionally minimal, say so briefly and point to the accessible route so people don’t blame themselves for hesitating.
Rainy-day ops: temporary “slippery when wet” stands and staff prompts at the stair entry.
Digital: a simple page or Story highlight showing accessible paths and how to request help.
One more nuance: in Korea, when buildings are new, expanded, major-renovated, or have a change of use, the accessibility installs are expected to come along; some existing facilities also had upgrade timelines. So even if a stair predates current practice, major changes can trigger updates.
At the end of the day, world-class isn’t just a list of famous architects. It’s whether a visitor—older, pregnant, using a cane, pushing a stroller, wearing the wrong shoes on a wet afternoon—can read the next step and feel safe. That’s the bar.
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