Muuun Hotel

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

Muuun Hotel

NOMAL, ONJIUM Housing Studio

LANDSCAPE
Jogyeongsanghoi

TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT
Chunil Engineering.co., LTD.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Hwan Structure Engineering

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Chung Lim Mechanical Engineering & Consultant

ARCHITECTS
Minyuk Chai, Bokki Lee, Seyeon Cho, Bongryol Kim, Chaewon Park, Jaioh Lee

PHOTOGRAPHS
Choi Yong Joon

AREA
143 m²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Gyeongju-si, South Korea

CATEGORY
Hospitality Architecture, Houses

Text description provided by architect.

Muuun is a small hotel with two individual houses.

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

Muuun means 'The place where mist and cloud befriend' It locates close to 'Samreung' forest, which is well known for its beautiful scenery with the mist.

Entering the forest full of mist is very surrealistic. Exiting from the surreal atmosphere gives a new perspective on facing ordinary life under the blue sky and the cloud.

This project intends a similar experience through the architecture. The project's early study was the research of various 'hanok'(A traditional Korean house).

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

Indeed, one question came to mind about the stereotype of hanok. Could hanok be defined as a specific era or genre?

To rethink this stereotype, Muuun kept the idea without being bound by a particular concept, such as modern reinterpretation or keeping the tradition.

Luckily the client agreed with the approach, and he required two houses in one site, which is not typical for hanok.

Muuun Hotel
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

The plan begins with the construction of a courtyard, forming two "L" shapes, with the entrance courtyard on the south side and the birth myth of Park Hyeokgeose on the north side.

There is a courtyard overlooking the historic site "Najeong" and a courtyard overlooking the historic "Namsan" to the east of the Silla Dynasty.

To make a special impression on the entrance yard, there are two unique attempts. The first is an entrance curved at 45 degrees between two hanok.

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

It is designed as a welcoming space, leading toward the entrance. The second was a solid facade. These two might be regular components of modern architecture.

However, most of the hanok has doors as the facade, which is an entrance. This attempt provides a free facade and creates privacy for the neighbor.

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

Each L shape unit meets in the center corner as an entrance. Both have a living room close to the door and a bedroom at the far corner. Walls towards the neighbors and roads are firmly closed but only have small windows at the top for ventilation.

It was wide open to the garden. Indeed, the bedroom had another layer of the traditional door to control the outside light. These doors are made of Korean paper and hemp cloth to create opacity.

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

The translucent silhouette through doors gives an image of the mist and the cloud as the house's title. There is a bathtub at the far end of the house. It has a high ceiling, exposed wood structure, and wide-open doors.

The doors can open to turn into an indoor or outdoor bath as a user need. The bathtub represents a modern well. The local myth of 'Park Hyukgeose,' famous for his bath story from birth, inspired this bathtub.

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

Each house has its identical atmosphere, usability, and comfort. Traditional hanok has typical floor types for sitting and sleeping on the floor for a sedentary lifestyle.

Therefore, Muuun has two different types of floors. Livingroom Tables and Chairs sit on the regular wooden floor, but bedrooms have a higher base with two other methods of traditional materials.

Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon

One is a clay plaster, and the other is a linoleum floor with bean oil. The walls and ceilings use grey Korean color paper, while most hanok only use white.

Visitors who come in for different seasons and hours will experience a particular moment of hanok and blend into the surroundings with comfort.

Muuun Hotel
Layout


Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon


Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon
Muuun Hotel
© Choi Yong Joon


Muuun Hotel
Prejudice of Hanok Diagram
Muuun Hotel
Mass Study Diagram


Muuun Hotel
Axonometric View
Muuun Hotel
Plan
Muuun Hotel
Plan -Roof Floor