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Architects: Studio ELTM
- Area: 251 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Kim Seong Mun, Lee Sang Heon
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Manufacturers: GRC system
Text description provided by the architects. In the quiet and secluded Hwam-dong alley, which is reached by strolling through the small alleys in front of the U.S. military base in Yongsan, the red brick facade hides quietly like a mask. The red brick façade is a relic of the Japanese colonial era, and the wooden structures that have stood the test of time greeted us through the musty smell of dust. *Jalsan-gaok: A building built by Japanese people in the Japanese style when Japan forcibly occupied Korea.
The dust, the strewn flesh, the wooden structures that were cut as if to show the winds of time, and the names of the years made me think that what I saw between them were possibilities, the possibilities of countless options. The light descending through the stacked gable roofs of the site and the few wooden structures still standing We proceeded to plan a space that would honor its age but give it a new purpose. The cave-like texture of the stone as soon as you open the door is overwhelming from the moment you enter the space, which acts as a dense transition space that is completely different from the secluded Huamdong.
The stone structure formed from the transitional space acts as an object and symbolizes the space at the same time, encompassing and symbolizing the heterogeneity and scale of the materiality and existence of the stone itself, giving full play to the forces that the materiality can produce. The glass skylight, which allows the light to fully penetrate, the wooden structure that retains the function of the windows, and the wood that becomes a new structure by finishing the H-beam Stone and wood Stone and wood The use of natural elements to create a space that is closest to nature, capturing and confronting the passing time, both when the sun is shining and when the darkness falls and the silence falls.
To preserve the historicity of the existing gables, the angle of the new roof is the same as the angle of the existing roof. The new finishes are done in the same angle as the existing gables, and indirect lighting is maintained to create a soft and warm atmosphere. The different levels within the space are meant to be seen as part of the structure, eliminating any sense of disparity. The design team retained the original location of the courtyard and reimagined it in a new form, creating a space in the center of the space where the building can be explored and appreciated.
