Composed Volumes

Jul 5

Written By Omar Dahabra

Location: Gurye, South Korea
Year: 2025
Architects: office4f5 architects
Photography by: audio visual union

The project began through the sharing of ideas around an alternative ways of living, distinct from the conventions of the city. ‘Gurye’ is a place in the southern region with a long history. The program embraced a hybrid environment: a private residence for the client, a dining space for presenting culinary work, and a flexible setting capable of accommodating performances and exhibitions. In addition, short-term accommodation for visiting guests was also envisioned.

The site, approximately 300 m² in area, contains a 1970s ‘hanok’. Rather than demolishing the existing house and inserting a new structure on an emptied site, an approach that revives what was already there and articulates it in a scale and form aligned with the village emerged naturally. Conversations with the former occupant—about the spaces, trees, and objects embedded in the site—allowed for a more attentive reading of what was already there. In particular, the view of the surrounding landscape from the two-story steel structure oriented toward the south was strikingly beautiful, and the project sought to preserve this visual axis in the newly created spaces.

As a result, the project required a departure from conventional urban design methodologies. Accommodating multiple programs within a limited footprint, while preventing functional conflicts, necessitated a reconsideration of how space itself is generated. Unlike in the city, the generous yard expanded the notion of the home to encompass the entire site, and the project sought to propose ways to use it appropriately across diverse functions. Simply appending new volumes to the exterior envelope would increase mass without transforming the building’s relationship to its surroundings Instead, considering the relationships between spaces based on their use, separate structures were introduced to share exterior spaces; in some cases, existing spaces were enclosed or cut through to create new paths, allowing for more varied and differentiated connections with the surroundings on all sides.

Dining Volume
The existing ‘hanok’ structure was reinterpreted while preserving its original framework. Programed as a workshop, kitchen, and stay room, it’s conceived as the most public space within the project. By removing the ceiling of the main hall, the rafters were exposed, and the central column establishing a spatial anchor that also operates as a stage for activities extending toward the exterior. The kitchen was composed in response to the client’s specific working methods. Other room was reconfigured into a guest room, with the introduction of a new wall and a separate entrance.

Residence Volume
Volume for private living was positioned at the deepest part of the site. Sharing a small rear courtyard with kitchen, it is connected through extended eaves, allowing the two structures to operate together as a more expansive living place. Ground floor is organized as a simple plan: two rooms and a single bathroom placed between them. It reflects the idea that movement and buffering between the two rooms can occur both internally and through adjacent exterior space, while maximizing living area within a limited budget.

On the second floor, another stay unit is introduced, accessed independently from the ground via a spiral staircase. This compact room opens through a large aperture framing views toward the southern landscape. For potential shifts in living patterns, the circulation and openings were designed to allow the space to be converted into a residential unit in the future.

Storage Volume
A storage with a refined form was introduced to reinforce the spatial hierarchy that was otherwise lacking between the two primary volumes. Positioned to screen the courtyard and interior from the village road, it operates as a buffering that mediates and extends the visual axis from the main hall. Located close to the inner garden, the volume remains true to its original function. And its placement near the entrance allows it to participate in a spatial sequence in which views gradually unfold upon entry. Text description by the architects.

Source: www.4f5.kr

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