Architect: HyoMan Kim – IROJE KHM Architects
Design team: Kim Ji-Yeon
Location: Gyeongseo-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, Korea
U S E: Residence
Site area: 291.80 ใก
Bldg. area: 137.29 ใก
Gross floor area: 194.77 ใก
Structure: Concrete rahmen
Exterior finishing: Dry-vit system, Painted aluminum sheet
Interior finishing: Exposed concrete block, Confloor, Vynil paint
Photographer: Sergio Pirrone
About Studio
While firmly adhering to the legitimacy and purity of architecture, we are trying to recover the identity of Korean urban architectural culture in this era where blind westernization is being handed down. To this end, it is our goal to establish an independent and unique Korean architectural city cultural identity that is distinguished from foreign cultures by simultaneously exploring and studying the traditional Korean characteristics of the past and the modern Korean characteristics of this era and the future. We want to place the meaning of our work in practicing the existence of Korean architectural culture.
This newly-developed residential site is very close to Incheon International Airport. The owner of this house is a young pilotโs family. They have settled down in this neighboring village of the airport to live their flying life of the future.
We translated โFlyingโ which is the pilotโs character of lifestyle into โFlyingโ which is a morphological character of the traditional architecture of Korea. The soaring roofs of โRumaruโ which is the traditional outdoor pavilion of Korea and the dynamic concave curved, outlines of housemass are metaphoric expressions of the pilotโs lifestyle, โflyingโ.
In addition, we have recreated the traditional living style of sitting on the floor for sunken sitting โOndolโ in the living room, to satisfy the ownerโs request for a sitting lifestyle.
To satisfy the enjoyable life of outdoor living with a garden which was a requirement of the owner, we introduced traditional factors of Korean architecture which are โMadang(innercourt)โ, โRumaru(floating pavilion in the garden)โ, โJungja(pavilion on the ground of garden)โ and inclined roof garden as a small hill. Those are essential factors of the traditional landscape of Korean gardens.
Consequently, we have created a landscape that is an architectural hill with โRumaruโ, the traditional pavilion in the garden. We desire this house to be recognized not as architecture but as a landscape in this village.