Apple Farm House / 2m2 architects

Curated by ArchDaily

Architects: 2m2 architects
Area: 123 m²
Year: 2016
Photographs:Shin Kyungsub
Manufacturers: American Standard, Eagon

Text description provided by the architects. If you drive a car to the north along the East Sea Road from Pohang Station, you will see the high mountains on your left and the East Sea on your right. Jukjang-myeon, Buk-gu of the city of Pohang, where Apple Farm House is located, is situated at a high altitude and there is Gyeongsangbuk-do arboretum in which the sky and mountains are said to meet. This is a high altitude clean area where soil and climatic conditions are suitable for apple production and apple cultivation is very active in here.

The building owner is a couple who is three years away from their retirement and plans to grow apples after their retirement here in their hometown. They have already planted apple trees on weekends for 4 years ago, built cold warehouses, and finally made their first harvest last year. In the meantime, they lived in a temporary container on weekends, but as young grandchildren living in the city came to visit frequently, they put forward the plan of building house that was planned two years later.

I cannot forget the scenery when I first visited the land after passing a mountain along the winding road. The ground which was located a little higher than the surrounding roads was covered with mountains behind and beautiful scenery was spread out in front. The house could naturally be facing the South and the natural scenery was beautiful, so I felt lighter on my feet on my way back to Seoul than when going there.

A small house facing the South with an area of 100㎡ with two rooms, a living room and a kitchen were all that the client requested. And they wanted to have a small space to work outside the house. Work areas are often located on the back of the house. However, since the surrounding scenery is so beautiful, I arranged it in the front so that they could work looking at the beautiful scenery. And instead of simply providing a small space on the remaining land, I planned it as an active space, an extension of the building, and highlighted it as the identity of this small house.

The external work space which can serve as the extension of the main entrance and center point is planned to be a canopy structure with a long roof stretching, which prevents rain and forms a shadow. The roof is up in the air without pillars or walls in the front, which gives a panoramic view without any visual obstacles. In addition, you can see the apple farm on the other side of the site on which the owner worked hard for a long time. Also, by slightly turning the direction of the canopy according to the shape of the earth, it gives a rhythmic feel to the straight line, and also brings about structural stability. It is a transition space for entering and leaving the house and it is also used as a playground where the grandchildren can run around enjoying the breeze and can play in water in the summer.

The outer finish which uses the pine-wood exposed concrete and the wooden vertical louver mixes naturally with the village of the mountain. When it comes to interior space, rooms are all arranged to the south according to the earth that stretches to the East and the West. Then, the space was divided by sliding pocket doors between the public area of the living room and the kitchen and the private area of the bedroom. There is a large window on the front of the living room, and a wooden deck is laid on it, so that the living room - the outside deck - the inside and outside of the front yard can be freely accessed. The living room ceiling is installed with spruce wood louver finish and the front wall is installed with birch plywood to make it a cozy space. The corridor wall facing the bedroom has exposed concrete finish, which contrasts with the feeling of the living room. It is part of the southern province, but surrounded by high mountains and colder than other areas on the same latitude, so we used thicker insulation than legal standards to allow for warmer winters and cooler summers. Because it was a housing project located far away from the downtown, there were many difficulties in the construction process, but it was able to be completed well with the understanding of the owner and the efforts of the builder.

In the Korean society, a generation born in the late 50s and early 60s became a retirement age from their works. I know it is a generation that worked hard when they were young and now I want to cheer them who are entering the second chapter of their lives.