studio_GAON constructs house amongst the mountaintops of south korea

studio_GAON constructs house amongst the mountaintops of south korea
all images courtesy of studio_GAON

‘house in macheon’ by studio_GAON is a project situated within a quiet neighborhood of hamyang, south korea. the client wanted to build a small, modest korean dwelling which fits comfortably within the vast landscape of jiri mountain. in order to supply these demands, a numaru was constructed that opens up its windows outwards in three directions for sunlight and fresh breezes of air to flow throughout the interior. as the program announces itself on the exterior by protruding out the side of the house, it hides an ondol room that utilizes the raised floor heating system of a hypocaust and burning firewood. these traditional spaces respectively represent warmth for southern regions, and coolness in northern regions. ‘since korea has four distinct seasons, there are such drastic combined forms of these two systems. we resolutely put the ondol system and numaru together,’ the studio said. the pairing is complemented by universal hot-water heating embedded within the timber construction.

full view of the house 

once the design was complete, the architects consulted several relatives of the owner who are monks from a historic temple within the mountain. after a contemplative discussion about the building’s orientation, they used their knowledge of the terrain to suggest that it should be appropriated in a way that enhances occupants’ relationship to the natural surroundings with views of chun-wang, the highest peak that ascends 1,915-meters above the ground. in so doing, the residence becomes a mix of past and present, multi-regional and multi-climatic, under a single roof.

the timber construction is complimented by white walls

the numaru opens up on all sides

(left) view through a korean window
(right) interior of the bedroom

view through a doorway to the mountaintops

public and private spaces are distinguished by their light and materiality

view of the house from afar

night view of the residence

the roof of the house in relation to the landscape

watercolor conceptual sketch

project info:

architect: hyoungnam lim, eunjoo roh of studio_GAON
project team: sungpil lee, minjung choi, sangwoo yi, seongwon won, hanmoe lee, soyae baek, joowon moon
photographs: youngchae park
translation: joowon moon
location: changwon-ri, macheon-myeon, hamyang-gun, kyungsang-do, south korea
use: house
site area: 995m²
building area: 88.23m² (main building 70.23m², warehouse 18m²)
gross floor area: 96.24m² (main building 78.24m², warehouse 18m²)
building scope: 1F+mezzanine
building-to-land ratio: 8.87%
floor area ratio: 9.67%
structure: wood frame structure
construction: geumgang construction co., LTD, sangchul lee carpenter workshop
design date: 2012.9-2013.8
construction date: 2013.8-2013.11

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