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Architects: KYWC Architects, Kim Seunghoy (Seoul National University)
- Area: 284 m²
- Year: 2017
- Photographs: Kim Jaekyeong
Text description provided by the architects. The design began with the question of, what is the architecture that lies in harmony with its neighborhood and alleys. This petite architecture consisting of four stories and a single basement level communicates with its urban surroundings in various ways. The ground floor is an exhibition space for ‘Dreamnext’s design product as well as a workshop area for letter press.
This space, in which workshops and exhibitions co-exist simultaneously, itself becomes an impressive scene in the neighborhood. Instead of form, activities become its scenery. The main entrance in a form of a main gate invites pedestrians passing by. When the main entrance is entirely opened the interior space becomes part of the road. The basement is a multifunctional space which has a high floor height. This space provides for lectures and exhibitions. In every corner of the basement storage space has been designed to exhibit and store products of ‘Dreamnext.’
The sunken space with an outdoor staircase not only connects the basement to the ground floor, but also provides fresh air and daylight into the basement. The second and the third floors of the building are the workspaces of ‘Dreamnext.’ Although it is a small space there were efforts made in order to maximize its spatial limitations. The floor area was maximized by building storage space into the walls, designing with minimal size of structure, and many other methods to create a larger floor space. The meeting room on the fourth floor, which has a rooftop garden, is the most spacious and comforting space out of the entire building. Regardless of its small space, it has a high ceiling, and a view which extends out to the vast urban scenery. The wooden deck of the rooftop garden brings joy to its tired staff.
A small house on a tiny plot. Nevertheless, exploring a unique structural system was vital to create substantial space. The second floor of the building is hung by a truss system on the third floor. Thus, tolerating minimal structural members to be placed on the ground floor, this allows the ground floor to generously open up to its urban surroundings. The purpose of structure is not only to provide for its structural functions but also to create an urban relationship, react to activities happening inside, and to reveal the structure on the exterior of the building. Building lifestyles, that is design. The building ‘Dreamnext’ in Mangwon-dong contains the ‘process of building.’ Design that builds lifestyles is what the members of ‘Dreamnext’ practice on a daily basis.
