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Architects: stpmj
- Area: 1089 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Bae Ji Hun, Lee Myung Bae
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Lead Architects: Seung Teak Lee, Mi Jung Lim
Text description provided by the architects. Montage Hannam, located in a residential area of Hannam in Seoul, is the film studio and headquarters of a commercial production company. It is a single building with four stories and two basements, designed by vertically stacking variable film sets, which are normally found in suburban areas.
Generally, buildings are planned to human scale; circulation is determined by the purpose and movement of the user, and the height of each floor is proportionate to human height. In addition, the placement and size of windows are established based human eye level. In Montage Hannam, however, 'human' gives place to 'camera'. The path and flow of perspectives from the street to the main entrance and then to each floor and the characteristics of each space are planned by pivoting on a camera.
The contrast of natural lighting, the depth of space, and the change of the materials in camera frames are the main factors of the project's narrative. The spatial layers, such as varying ceiling heights, exaggerated window sizes, and exterior spaces extended from interior spaces, form an extraordinary set for commercials, giving an air of fantasy.
High ceiling heights are necessary to accommodate camera angles. The building stands out with its incomparable height in the neighborhood. A floating concave volume corresponding to a corner of the site casts shadows that change in line with the sun and add weight to the depth of the building. The ground floor entering through the steps under the volume allows stereoscopic, public circulation, where users can expand their perspectives from the interior to the lower-leveled rear garden and come down through another deep stair. Various geometric plays added to a simple mass create dramatic scenery from the entry and cross streets.
Montage Hannam, a studio, serves not only as a filming backdrop, but also as a workspace for the company, a space for lease, a parking space, and a cafe. The stage where camera movements and cinematic fantasies meet becomes a daily space as it performs to serve different purposes. It is a combination of sequences where users continuously experience an over-scaled identity and unique scenes of everyday life.
