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Architects: Todot Architects and Partners
- Area: 110 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Jinbo Choi
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Manufacturers: Archipace, Bellissimo, Blustyle, Cermamiche Castelvetro, KD Woodtech, Sandulmaru, THE JOHN TECH
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Lead Architects: Cho Byung Kyu, Mo Seung Min^
Text description provided by the architects. One day, an elderly couple visited us to build a house on a peaceful land in Yeoju where a king’s tomb can be seen in the distance. For as long as one year since deciding to build a new house after their retirement, they organized and listed up their humble wishes which an architect has to carefully consider. It took quite a long time to approach the design considering the spirituality, the warmth, and the truthfulness they showed us. The approach was more careful because both the client and we were well aware that merely a functional house is not an objective in the project.
After countless Sketches, the concept we came up with was “aging”. As a man ages, a house can age with the touches of the residents and the passing of time. Rather than conspicuous gestures, we designed a house that seems to have been always on the land: a house that resembles the gentle hills of the surrounding and ages with the elderly couple over time. The material choice we made to realize this concept was wood. Deep eaves were applied for the slow aging of the red cedar cladding. We planned space under the eaves where the residents sit and observe the passing of time. A gabled roof, which resembles the ridges of the hill, was planned and the center was carved to create a serene courtyard.
A void courtyard is a place of spirituality, warmth, and truthfulness. The natural light that penetrates the space encompasses the three elements. The natural light lightens up other natural elements such as river pebbles all of which have different colors and shapes. When the Sun is in the South, the sky-blue colored steel pipes that blend into the sky split the sunlight.
The C-shaped house consists of the main living area and an independent zone and void space in between under one roof. Although the outdoor void space was designed for a table tennis area, it will serve as a multi-functional space for such as family-gathering, laundry-drying, etc. The independent zone will serve as their visiting grandsons’ room, a library, etc. We expect the house to serve as a space for meditation and inspiration for the couple and to age as beautifully as them.
