SPACE-Purposely Understated: Bangok House

SPACE July 2023 (No. 668)

This house is for a music-loving family with young children and is located in a newly developed residential district. It faces other single-family houses to the west and is protected by a foothill to the east. The foothill is steep and heavily wooded with dense ground cover. During the day, especially at dawn, the forest view can be appreciated from inside the house and serves as a picturesque backdrop.

The site has a gentle slope upwards, towards the south. The plan of the house is L-shaped creating a space for a yard. The yard is mostly paved and used as the children’s play area, the family’s dining patio and a parking space for the cars. A circular cut-out is in the paving; tall grass was specifically planted here to bring greenery closer to the house without obstructing views to and from the house. The grass picks up movement from its surroundings and offers a delicate verticality to break up the monotony of the concrete paving.

The monolithic nature of this house is characterised by the use and the detailing of white stone. The stone panels are set out with tight open joints and applied, not only to the exterior walls but also to the eaves. The stone does not terminate at the ground level, but stops just above. This consistent offset level at the base lifts the house’s volume from the ground plane, which further emphasises its form. Also at the base and at the roof, edges are terminated with thin metal profiles that outline the perimeter. The main façade is on the west; the house is set towards this side, closer to the street and anterior to property line, which maximises the use of the small-scale site and makes the house appear slightly larger than it is. Windows and doors are discretely located on all other façades. There is only one singular conical window. The design of this façade is purposely understated.

The stone on the main façade is textured with a repetitive diagonal pattern. This pattern is milled using CNC manufacturing methods and runs across the entire face, emphasising the materiality and frontage of the house. The diagonal texture is punctuated by a truncated conical window, an oculus. The oculus is formed with a ruled surface sandwiched between two eccentric circles of different diameters separated by the wall thickness. The larger circle is located on the exterior and the smaller circle is located on the interior. The oculus is the focal point of this wall from either side. Its unique shape maximises natural light on the interior, while creating different geometric impressions depending on the viewing angle.

ⓒKKKL

The main entrance to the house is tucked into the south façade. From there, the entry vestibule is the first space that greets visitors upon entering the residence. It is a kaleidoscopic transitional space between exterior and interior. Although physically confined in a small space, the boundaries of the vestibule are blurred and the visual experience is amplified by mirrored and reflective glass surfaces, on both sides and ahead. The floor is a dark polished stone, which appears to drop out and acts as another reflective surface. This is also a departure from the light-coloured palette of the materials and its asymmetrical exterior form.

Once beyond the vestibule, one is greeted with a staircase ascending to the second floor and a long rectangular open space on the first floor. The open space serves as a flexible shared space for the family. A large picture window leads the eye immediately east to the kitchen and offers views to the forest beyond. This space, with its soft natural daylight, creates a serenity and calm that transforms the kitchen island counter into an altar. The morning calm can be appreciated here just before the children enliven this space with the ritual of hectic family life. The design of this house originated with this open first floor plan.

In addition to the kitchen, this open space also holds a dining area, a living room and a music recital space. When visual privacy is needed, a translucent linen curtain that runs from the floor to the ceiling, and from one wall to the opposite wall, temporarily divides this space. The curtain is motorised and contained in a concealed closet. When operated, it is drawn out of a narrow vertical slit in the wall. The curtain also serves as a partition to create a reception area for guests and a stage-like area for performers providing an ambience of anticipation. This music recital space is connected to a supporting small lesson room. The other supporting spaces – the pantry, refrigerators’ alcove, cooking area, washroom, boiler and storage room – are organised in a line on the opposite, north side of the first floor, creating a buffer from the only neighbouring house.

At dusk, sunset radiates through the oculus at the west. The window shares a wall with the stairs. The diagonal lines of the stairs remind one of the diagonal patterning and textures of the stone of the exterior face. The family can retire upstairs, where the private spaces – the children’s rooms, master bedroom, and master bath – have been closely arranged together. The master bath is located at the end of the main corridor and culminates with a large window over an equally large bathtub. This view is made possible by a concealed sliding pocket door, which usually remains in the open position, drawing one physically and visually down the corridor.

The terrace, the master bedroom, and master bath are all oriented to the east, once again exploiting views of the forest at a higher elevation. The terrace is partially sheltered and overlooks the yard. Its balustrade reinforces the geometry of the sloped roofline while offering a balance of privacy and views outwards. A second set of stairs leads to the attic on the top floor which is a play area for the children during the day and a quiet study space for the adults at night. Just beyond this space is a large storage room for the changing needs of the family. The ceiling is a reminder of the overall shape of the house bringing the geometric form of the exterior inside.

You can see more information on the SPACE No. 668 (July 2023).

Architect

KKKL (Kim Kiwon, Kelly Lwu)

Design team

Park Naejung

Location

Bangok-dong, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do, Korea

Programme

single house

Site area

319.8㎡

Building area

125.38㎡

Gross floor area

196.4㎡

Building scope

Parking

Height

8.99m

Building to land ratio

39.21%

Floor area ratio

64.41%

Structure

Exterior finishing

stone

Interior finishing

water paint, wall paper

Structural engineer

Ten Engineering

Mechanical and electrical engineer

Cheonil E&C

Construction

Mooil Construction

Design period

Feb. – Oct. 2021

Construction period

Oct. 2021 – Sep. 2022

Landscape design

Lee Hansong

Kim Kiwon

Kim Kiwon is co-principal of the design studio, KKKL. He currently teaches at the Ewha Womans University as an adjunct professor. He holds architectural licenses in Korea as well as the United States. He previously worked in Boston at Leers Weinzapfel Associates and in Tokyo at Maki and Associates. He received degrees in architecture from Yosei University and Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Kelly Lwu

Kelly Lwu is co-principal of the design studio, KKKL. She also currently teaches at Korea University as an adjunct professor. She has previously worked in New York at Rafael Viñoly Architects and in Tokyo at Maki and Associates. She is a registered architect and a LEED AP BC+D in the United States, where she received degrees in mechanical engineering and architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University Graduate School of Design, respectively.
KKKL has won numerous awards, including the Korean Institute of Architects Awards, the Korean Architecture Award.

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Purposely Understated: Bangok House

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