SOUTH KOREA 2011-
Overlooking the city of Seoul from a south-facing hill, this family home has been designed with reference to traditional Korean domestic architecture. Three delicate volumes with different levels of privacy, proportion, and size are arranged on a heavy plinth, creating three gardens that relate to the position of the sun. An entrance hall, leading to a sunken patio, is carved out of the exposed concrete of the base, underlining its weight. The patio guides into the building and upstairs into the upper hall. This airy space forms the center of the house, as well as connecting the three volumes. The representative living room features a high ceiling and grand views across the south-facing front garden and the city of Seoul. The master wing houses the client's private quarters on two levels with intimate views into the surrounding outdoor areas. The dining room and further bedrooms are located in the north wing, facing the more private back garden that receives the evening sun. The vegetable garden close to the kitchen is oriented towards the morning sun. The building is clad with bespoke glazed terracotta tiles. With its waved vertical profile and almost monochrome off-white sheen, the facade continuously oscillates between gravity and lightness, between tradition and modernity.