Office: NOMAL | ArchDaily

Cracker / NOMAL

Miwa Negoro — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Background – This building, completed in 1966 in Seoul's Sinchon district, was built during a period of rapid urbanization. Aerial photographs by Kim Han-Yong from the same year show the Han River area still largely undeveloped, while the city, under its push for rapid construction, was beginning to transform the urban landscape at an unprecedented pace. The history of the building over the past five decades is unclear, but its condition today is severely deteriorated. Four of its eight columns extended beyond the site boundary, and what is now a four-story structure began as a modest two-story building on independent foundations. Later, a third floor of masonry and a fourth floor of lightweight steel were added, leaving the structure stacked precariously, like a Jenga tower.

Concrete Sandwich Office Building / NOMAL

Miwa Negoro — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:00:00 +0000

'Wider, Higher, Cheaper' - 'Wider, Higher, Cheaper' is not a new trend. In architecture, where real estate value as an asset cannot be separated from its relationship with the building, finding the maximum area of the building-to-land ratio and floor area ratio is also essential. The theme of the Korean Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale Architecture Exhibition was the 'Floor Area Ratio Game,' it dealt with Korean architects' efforts over the past 50 years to achieve the maximum floor area ratio. At that time, the low interest rates and relatively high land prices reduced the burden on building owners by making a structure to pay for construction costs through a loan secured by land, which led to the growth of the multi-family housing market. Many architects implemented various methodologies in this trend, such as the floor area ratio game.

ASI House / NOMAL

Hana Abdel — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000

The English word 'stay', which means 'to continue to be in a place and not leave', has become a noun that replaces the meaning of 'sensuous accommodation' in Korea. The first concern for the project was what makes this market unique between various genres of accommodation such as hotels, motels, inns, and resorts. 'Stay' is a fully furnished single-family house for daily rent for people who dream about living in a house. Since the primary housing market is apartments in Korea, many people dream of building and living in a home or having a weekend house. However, it requires a high investment of time and money. Therefore, the 'stay' market can be an attractive point to fulfill this desire to live in a house. Consumers can choose a variety of weekend houses without going through these processes.

Jeokhoje House / NOMAL

Hana Abdel — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 01:00:00 +0000

The family decided to demolish the old house they had lived in for a long time and build a new one in the same place. Because it was where they had lived for a long time, they knew the pros and cons of the site. They also had an experience living in various houses, which gave them a high understanding and expectation of what kind of house was right for the family. The site is located in the corner of a district where a similar shape of houses was built repeatedly. Three of the four sides are in contact with a ramp, and the height difference between the west and east sides of the site is 4.9 meters.

Joomak Restaurant / NOMAL

Hana Abdel — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 23:00:00 +0000

The centralization of the metropolitan area, development of new local cities, changes in industrial structure, and population decline have led to the deterioration of small towns that had once prospered. Regenerating and revitalizing a decayed city is not just about local governments investing in various policies and budgets; private companies are also participating, and the interest of residents is increasing. Among these attempts, 'MBC Empty House 3' is a public-private cooperative commercial venture between Jeonju City, a private company, and a broadcasting station as an approach to solving slums in Palbok-dong, Jeonju, Korea.

Muuun Hotel / NOMAL + ONJIUM Housing Studio

Hana Abdel — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Muuun is a small hotel with two individual houses. Muuun means 'The place where mist and cloud befriend' It locates close to 'Samreung' forest, which is well known for its beautiful scenery with the mist. Entering the forest full of mist is very surrealistic. Exiting from the surreal atmosphere gives a new perspective on facing ordinary life under the blue sky and the cloud. This project intends a similar experience through the architecture. The project's early study was the research of various 'hanok'(A traditional Korean house). Indeed, one question came to mind about the stereotype of hanok. Could hanok be defined as a specific era or genre? To rethink this stereotype, Muuun kept the idea without being bound by a particular concept, such as modern reinterpretation or keeping the tradition.

Summmoru House / NOMAL

Hana Abdel — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 19:00:00 +0000

Summmoru House is located in Sagae-ri, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju. Approaching the site from the basalt-covered coastline, one enters the village to find a small, rough hill covered in windswept grass. To the northeast, Sanbangsan Mountain rises clearly into view, while to the south, the house faces the hill. At first glance on a map, the sea and Sanbangsan seemed destined to be the main subjects, but it quickly became clear that the solitary hill closest to the site was the true protagonist. To better understand the land and its village context, the design team camped on site with the client's permission, observing and recording. Nature here felt like a vast orchestra, and the design question became how to translate this symphony into architecture. Late-night reflection led to the idea of experiencing the orchestral landscape outside as individual solos inside the home, framed views of the hill, the sky, the sunset, the grass, the sea, and Sanbangsan.

Mangata Restaurant / NOMAL

Hana Abdel — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Restaurant ‘mångata’ means ‘the roadlike reflection of moonlight on water’ in swedish. Our approach for the ‘mångata’ was coexistence. This restaurant serves softness and hardness with variety of experience through the course meal.
The Chef had a great ability of using opposite components to coexist together with a harmony. We tried to make a right shell for his food with a right space identity.