tower house by ON architecture references the urban scenery of gimhae, korea

located in a housing development area behind the gimhaehyanggyo confucian school in south korea, the tower house by ulsan-based ON architecture offers an expansive view towards the cityscape of gimhae. the client initially wanted to start a multi-household project however, the land has already been eaten up by construction — ultimately revealing a completely different scene. nevertheless, the architect has managed to infiltrate the urban scenery that had captivated the client into the residence.

the design recreates the cityscape scenery of gimhae that the client has been captivated by
all images © joonhwan-yoon

based on those premises, ON architecture has introduced the concept of an observation tower in a form of a family dwelling. in addition, being influenced by the client’s hobby (collecting ornamental rocks and pot-planting), the architect has conceived a foyer with a vertical gallery connected to the tower. this hallway, presenting itself as a distinguishing feature of the house, works as a communal space linking and integrating all individual rooms. furthermore, the gallery provides an exhibition area with a circulating route for ornamental rocks and pot-plantings.

bird’s eye-view of the entire tower house, shaped like an X

compared to the size of the site, the client has requested to build a small house — making it difficult to actively use the extensive outdoor space. regardless, the project has managed to include some ‘exterior’ features. combining both parties’ visions, a south facing living room and master bedroom filled with sunlight are unified to create a unique x-shaped building arrangement. yet, the architect got intrigued by the resulting in-between spaces more than the form itself. 

view over the garden: the terrace borrows the traditional korean loft floor structure

following this train of thoughts, the living, master, kitchen and small rooms have been placed along the house so that each transitional area can function as independent outdoors for every unit. finally, the terrace in front of the living room borrows the concept of numaru — a traditional korean loft floor structure– and is constructed above ground, over the slope that flows into the garden. under it, a resting space is embedded for afternoon or evening relaxation. 

the different volumes come together like an urban patch, as seen from a distance 

extruded house façade emphasizes the crossed-shaped architecture

the residence is conceived as an observation tower

outdoor space directly overlooking the garden

each room has its own balcony or outdoor area, to make up for the limited extension of the architecture

warm colored interiors and simple use of materials 

large glazed façade allow for natural sunlight to properly immerse the interiors

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: lea zeitoun | designboom