seung h-sang constructs hyunama house in the middle of nature

seung h-sang constructs hyunama house in the middle of nature
all images courtesy of iroje

when asked to build a small house in bugye, korea, seung h-sang of IROJE architects & planners, found himself with the difficult task of embedding an architectural structure within a majestic natural landscape previously untouched. the owner had previously planted five botanical gardens and asked the architect to create a dwelling where he could contemplate and meditate amongst them. it is at the end of these green spaces that seung h-sang has constructed ‘hyunama’, or the black cottage, sitting still in the middle of a forest.

‘hyunama’ stands alone in the middle of a vast forest

when seeing the house from a distance, you will find a two-story corten steel structure with a long straight slope. on the upper part of this volume there is an artificial hill where a set of stairs guide you to the entrance gate. once opened the most splendid panorama of a vast valley is revealed through floor-to-ceiling windows that run along three sides of the house. 

the exterior is made of exposed mass concrete, corten steel and glass

the site is located in the center of the mountain where you can see nothing but the mountain and the sky. it faces the west, surely giving you a chance to see the sun going down over the reservoir and giving warmth in the winter season along the path of the sun.

there are two sets of stairs: one which leads to the roof terrace, and the other to the entrance gate

when you see this house at a distance, you will find it protruding from underground, emerging into the world as if it has been waiting a long time and this is why this house remains still with incompleteness.

the view that opens up once you enter the house is showcased through the glass walls

the roof terrace has a grass forest where you can sit on the corten chair and feel like part of nature

coming from the woods, the entrance to the house is a set of steps 

the first floor terrace offers a panoramic view of the sumptuous mountains

frontal a side sections of ‘hyunama’

top view of the site plan 

plans

front, east and west elevations

project info:

architect: seung h-sang / IROJE architects & planners
project team: jong tae yun, sinwook han, sunjoo kim
location: bugye-myun, gunwi-gun, gyeongsangbuk-do, korea
site area: 133,699㎡
building area: 125.05㎡
gross floor area: 137.33㎡
program: cultural facilities
building scale: 2 stories above ground
structure: reinforced concrete
exterior materials: THK2.3 corten panel, exposed mass concrete, pair glass
interior materials: exposed mass concrete, ondol floor, plywood

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom