planning korea: the objet house on jeju island

‘the objet’ by planning korea, jeju island, south korea

all images courtesy of planning korea

‘the objet house’ is the third installment of luxury concept houses from seoul-based firm planning korea. unabashedly delightful, ‘the objet’ is meant to be regarded as an occupiable art object bejeweling yerae, a village along the southern coastline of the rapidly developing leisure island, jeju. rich in natural beauty, untouched countryside and UNESCO world heritage sites, jeju island is in the midst of the largest integrated resort development in it’s history. jeju airest city is to be a 183 acre self-sustaining resort megaplex, housing some 900+ hotel rooms, a medical center, casino, and over 1500 condominium units.planning korea has taken to task interpreting jeju’s unique geological beauties and topographic wonders into architecture. of particular interest to the firm was the gotjawal forest, an expanse of vegetation formed atop volcanic rock. the objet house appropriates the myriad of springs that well up among the twisting roots and rocks; its plan open to the moderate temperatures and humidity that characterize the surrounding soomgol (‘breathing valley.’) in addition to recalling soomgol’s springs, the wide pools surrounding ‘the objet house’ are meant to blur divisions of interior and exterior as well as invite the sounds of the nearby ocean, swaying tree branches and running streams. whereas the cocoon strove to capture teeming forest life and the mobius a sense of eternal ecological flexibility, ‘the objet’ is intended to act as a soundbox of nature with the built environment as its surrogate.