TWO FACES FOR THE DISPARATE DESIRES OF A CITY: DONGTAN JANUS

 

Janus is a god from ancient Roman mythology, possessing one body and two faces that correspond to two contrasting impulses.A space of man-made buildings, constructed as cultural products, is no different from this; faced with problems in given situations and looming social conflicts, to what extent do they need to curb their desires? Architects should listen to the desires and inner voices of buildings during the process of their creation. In other words, architects must recognise the issues that are inseparable from the context and conditions of the particular site and pay attention to situations that could arise. Attention must be paid to architectural outcomes during the implementation of a sense of place and various conflicts that might be encountered in the future. This means that when an existing environment becomes a place through the creation of architecture, the process requires an alternative that pays heed to its smooth introduction and operation.​

 

 

Dongtan Janus is in a small town on the Sillicheon café street in Dongtan. This building, one of many neighbourhood living facilities that line the stream, features an open view to the grassy park and the pleasant natural landscape along the southward Sillicheon Stream as its background. However, buildings in this area are of the same size as if they had been planned with this in mind, and they are only dressed with brick walls and small windows, standing abreast of each other and blocking the wide and open view behind them in a somewhat defensive way. None of them leave any room to breathe in this suffocating city.Considering the disconnected relationship between the urban and the natural, an opaque residential volume introduces a café to the first floor, which is due to have the maximum height in order to create a sense of extension open to the street. Next, the southern façade facing nature is as open as possible, and the northern façade facing the urban area is completely closed. The northern façade, which is approached from the street, is in deep shadow of its own making. The white elevation with a rough texture creates a ʻcontre-jour effectʼ through its own shadow. The contrast between ground floor interior and light streaming out through the side of the building emphasises this provocative opening and an absorbing accessibility.​

 

 

 

 

The residential space on the upper floor is home to common spaces, such as the living room, kitchen, and family room facing the south, which is wide-open to draw the natural landscape deep inside. A cosy courtyard terrace with a full view of the sky is at its centre. Unlike that of a more typical gable roof, the sloping inward roof allows light to permeate the courtyard. An architectural volume plays a role of a breathing apparatus that is capable of coordinating light and ventilation. Individual rooms that require greater privacy are placed at the north. Rooms in the north don’t have windows, but light from the south can penetrate every corner of the interior through this internal void, while also providing an intimate semi-exterior space. This shows an active response from these residential facilities to contrasting conditions.
Dongtan Janus is a project that attempts to capture the heterogeneity of a site that exists between the city and the nature in one body. It is an architectural proposal to establish a more receptive relationship that embraces mutual weaknesses and conflicting values, rather than inculcating a dichotomous relationship between the desires that influence our city.​ (written by Kim Dongjin / edited by Han Garam)

 

 

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