Heyri Studio House
Heyri Studio House
BCHO Architects Associates
ARCHITECTS
BCHO Architects Associates
SIZE
1000 Sqft - 3000 Sqft
YEAR
2009
LOCATION
Paju-si, South Korea
TYPE
Residential › Private House
This small structure measures only 100㎡ in area and forms a series of arts based commissions nestled in the Heyri Arts Valley situated a short distance away from Seoul.
Initially starting as an avant-garde arts community, the village has sufficed to the relentless drive of commercialism to now become a major tourist destination; this has presented numerous problems in particular a distinct lack of privacy for the residents living and working there.
Pertinent to this design is a rejection of the urban and the definition of the natural, it is to this degree a resonance with the landscape is created.
Reacting to the unique site conditions and context, the design is akin to open arms, inviting to the west creating an interaction with the landscape while forming a hard boundary to the east, defining the street elevation, drawing on themes explored earlier in ‘Community House’, Sugokri.
As the client was looking to relocate here in the future, a second phase was intended that would create more rooms. One 95㎡ mass, embedded in the southern slope, represents the main living and studio space of Heyri Studio House, however it is the subtle additions to this mass that create a provocative composition, striking in its simplicity yet complex in its conviction .
By using these architectural gestures to frame, border and define nature, the building becomes a vessel, creating a bond between person and the natural. Formally, the exterior is defined by a stepped roof intentionally left exposed creating a rugged addition to the landscape.
This correspondingly creates a double height space internally, used as an artist studio; this stepped form becomes a functionalist device, trapping southern light as it ascends thus providing a well lit space for the artist.
The courtyard through an emphasis of low horizontal lines creates an organic relationship with the terrain of the site while visually re-enforcing the idea of the house belonging to the ground.
Sliding doors blur the connection between interior and exterior allowing the inhabitant to manually control air flows through the building. The exterior is typified by the exposed concrete finish juxtaposed by red steel for fenestration and doors paying respect to the industrial vernacular of the area.
