An Answer for a Clear and Generous Space: Mogokri House

SPACE July 2022 (No. 656)

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​MOGOKRI HOUSE sits on the border between a small village at the bottom of a sloping hill and a housing development made up of densely packed terraced slopes. Two small lots take possession of the space in an awkward manner due to the level gap. The client created a larger site by aligning these two relatively cheaper lots. The client, residing in a city centre apartment not too far away, desired something markedly different from an apartment: a spacious, clear, and universal, country home with a view of the hills when entering the house, a living room filled with sunlight all day long, and an open courtyard, garden and surrounding greenery. MOGOKRI HOUSE was not intended as a habitat for those with an ordinary working life. It is a place that serves as a place for respite from everyday life, as if one is on a trip. We spent time reflecting upon how best to create a space that would allow those within to breathe deeply, to wander and take their leave anywhere in the house, rather than designing an efficient and functional system common to standard residential spaces. Moreover, we considered new ways in which the surrounding natural environment could be drawn into the house and how the house might coexist in harmony with its neighbours, without disrupting their access to sunlight or outside scenery. While the house has an open view for now, we had to factor in the possibility that someday this view might be obstructed by other houses built facing the project. 

We hoped that the beautiful scenery of distant mountains and the light from the south would enter the house all day long, right from the moment one enters the house by turning down the corridor. We also determined that the corridors connecting each of the spaces would be central to the pathways leading elsewhere, as well as functionally serving to connect each of the chambers. These pathways signify a specific flow, becoming something more than the trajectory within the house; to speed through distant curving roads, arrive in front of the house, and open the front door after navigating the dual textures of the concrete wall, and emerging into each of the rooms. The corridor is placed at the centre of this pathway. The richness of the space depends on the placement of the corridor. Placed at the back, with the rooms and living room to the south, the corridor would have remained long and narrow in form, with a primary objective of connecting spaces. In this way, it would be difficult to create a pure sense of unity or connection to other spaces. Therefore, we first placed the long corridor to the south, and then placed the main chambers, such as the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom to the back. By placing the corridor at the front of the house, it was possible for the outside views to reach deep into the house, and for all the spaces to feel unified. Nevertheless, an excessively wide frame to encompass the external view, due to a unified corridor space, would deprive the space of comfort, introducing visual exhaustion from encounter with the vast scenic view and excessive light emanating from the strength of the natural light from the south. Moreover, the strong light would inhibit the forming of the space, due to the distinctions between shadow and light. So, our corridor intersects with three smaller rooms and outdoor spaces to the front, and a central living room surrounded by two courtyards to the back. These spaces, placed as intersections, add a sense of depth when faced from a certain direction, diffusing the excessive natural light. The dispersed light bounces off each of the internal spaces, transforming the light with multiple gradations. This transformed light allowed the space to recover the appearance we originally intended, which could have been lost to a strong contrast between light and shadow. While the spaces may appear to be less distinct from the lack of strong light, these spaces add a sense of abundance in their solicitation of all of the senses, as the light and shade reconfigure the space and form a calm setting. 

The Depth of Its Borders 

When seen from above, it seems like MOGOKRI HOUSE possesses both large and small courtyards, demarcated along their own territorial lines. Yet, moving inside, one senses that the delineation of inside and outside shifts due to their overlapping nature. In the MOGOKRI HOUSE, boundaries do not serve purely to demarcate space. They signify the marking of flexible boundaries according to the diverse forces exerted upon the inside and outside of the project. Through these boundaries, the space gains a sense of depth. Outdoor light and shadows extend into the internal shade, creating new boundaries, as these boundaries are released rather than broken through the light, wind and sound that traverses this space. The three courtyards placed around the living room and the corridor placed towards the south at the front of the living room are placed in an area where boundaries have been unfixed. Through this, the courtyardliving room-corridor have been unified into a single area. Not only does this serve to connect, but the space has been widened and possesses a new sense of extension, allowing it to fuse with the scenery of distant hills. The connected spaces of the bedroomcourtyard-living room-dining room-courtyardrooftop have clear physical boundaries. Yet, their defined demarcation lines become interchangeable as they become more and more indistinct to form a single visually recognisable space, creating a sense of tension. The most intimate space of the MOGOKRI HOUSE, the master bathroom is placed at the inner most area, yet connects to the project’s most open space, the living room, which opens out to the courtyard. Moreover, an unimpeded view that cuts across all of the spaces allows one to see the dog playing in front of the doorsteps, whether something is boiling on the stovetop, note whether music is playing in the living room or all the way in the master bedroom. On the other hand, the overlapping outdoor spaces means that one can only see movement in the master bedroom from the living room in a somewhat indistinct way. While they are not physically connected, this multi-directional overlap creates fruitful tension between visually connected spaces, allowing one to experience the space anew.

After a little time had passed during our visit, we sat still in the living room. We felt a simultaneous sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity from the overlapping spaces surrounding us. The wind, sounds and scenery changed from moment to moment, indescribable as a single shard of light or texture. In an instant, it felt that our bodies were reaching out, without bounds, into nature. These unbroken boundaries created the sensation of being within a prism. The client, in this house, wakes up at a leisurely hour, observes the light streaming into the house, drinks a warm cup of tea instead of breakfast, and finds a spot in which to settle, to talk or listen to music or read, sensing and responding to the passing of the day by observing the changing light and passing shadows of the clouds, and staring into space on the low wooden bench outside after a late lunch. As if on a trip.

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