'gyeongjuok' house brings a bamboo garden to a bucolic meadow

100A Associates curates a shaded oasis

In a vast meadow surrounded by mountains, this tranquil South Korean home dubbed ‘Gyeongjuok’ takes shape with architecture by 100A Associates. The residential project can be found in rural Sannae-myeon, an area within the southeastern region of Gyeongju. Washed with sunlight and shaded by the nearby mountains, the bucolic region is celebrated by the architects for its subtle dignity. ‘We decided to greet this space, surrounded as if by a folding screen by the mountain ridge ahead, during the twilight of ‘around sunset’ to morning rather than the typical visiting hours of morning to night,’ says the design team.

Thus, the team was inspired by the remote site during the dimmest hours of twilight and early morning — the atmosphere of subtle shadows and low light is embraced for its calm and quiet.

images courtesy 100A Associates | @100aassociates_official

a home immersed in nature

During the early design stages, 100A Associates envisions its Gyeongjuok house as a composition of large concrete partitions defining concentric layers. The outermost entrance is guarded by a coarse block of stone — a threshold, barrier, and beacon — which leads to a garden courtyard filled with lush bamboo plants and a tranquil mirrored pond. The architects continue: ‘The sound of wind and the sunset projected on the serene pond relaxes the body and heart, and by assimilating to nature, amplifies the aperture between the self and the external world.’

The process of entering and existing this space is designed to emphasize the vast sky and imposing landscape, as the open-air courtyard introduces enclosure while maintaining a complete immersion within the natural context. ‘It humbly accepts the ambience of the earth while still pursuing only the immersive, idyllic beauty found within the calm of unbroken silence.’

a celebration of the glowing sun

100A Associates poetically describes the spirit of the Gyeongjuok house: ‘The simple yet immaculate properties observed when entering following the faintly glowing rays of sunset does not scatter the fragile light, but rather accepts it in fine detail.’

The architecture is curated to create an ‘artful friction’ between the shade and the ambient light reflected off the simple walls — one that is in constant flux with the passing of the sun. ‘As such, the shadows entangled here and there at Gyeongjuok subtly implies the aesthetics of lower and softer sounds and deeper, thicker sounds,’ the team explains. ‘We hope you savor the elegant scenic flavor within.’

a mirror pond and bamboo garden occupy the open-air courtyard