AFER Hangang / Hyunjoon Yoo + Partners

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:00:00 +0000

The site of this project had complex and stringent constraints. Due to various regulations, it was not possible to freely shape the building form, and among these, the most restrictive condition was the setback regulation. As a result, the building naturally recedes as it rises, creating terraces along the way. We considered this a good excuse to persuade the client to create an apartment with terraces. In Korea, balconies are generally assumed to be enclosed and incorporated into the interior space. However, the terraces resulting from the setback regulation are unavoidable.

Smurf Village School / Hyunjoon Yoo + Partners

Andreas Luco — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

People are influenced by built space, so we planned Songsan Middle School to have a variety of building groups and yards so that children can grow up in a village-like landscape that changes just by moving a few steps. We all want to raise our children to be more open-minded and endeavoring. And to do so, the fundamental shape and structure of the school needs to change. School buildings should be broken down into smaller blocks, with small yards and outside spaces in various shapes and forms in between the blocks where they can play around. I think our kids' school should feel more like a “Smurfs’ Village” than one large building, which is the standard layout of schools seen in Korea.

Expert: Studio HYMH | ArchDaily

AFER Hangang / Hyunjoon Yoo + Partners

Smurf Village School / Hyunjoon Yoo + Partners