SPACE-Between Destiny and Skepticism: Blue Hip

SPACE October 2024 (No. 683)

Blue Hip (2022) in Galhyeon-dong is a new construction for a residence and workshop for a young artist couple. We had to secure the necessary interior space and a yard with privacy within a site where the usable area had been absolutely reduced due to the regulations for the road intersection and road widening. Our work is about finding order in a seemingly irregular world. Two calculable lines allowed for maximum occupancy within the given site. The two bands thus conceived provide a thin layer between the city and the house while maximising the building coverage. This urban liminal space provides an entry point for the dwelling on the second floor and a yard for the workspace on the first floor. The language of everyday architecture (semi-subterranean), which emphasises accessibility to the street, is partially applied. To minimise the height of the staircase to the second floor and maximise the ceiling height of the first floor, the indoor floor level of the first floor was lowered by 1m from the ground. Inside the first floor, a grid system was used to divide the space and determine the location and size of the windows, lighting, and furniture.

Process diagram

You can see more information on the SPACE No. October (2024).

Architect

Chung Isak (Dongyang University) + a.co.lab arch

Design team

Kim Yena, Bae Jangwoo

Location

Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Korea

Programme

single house

Site area

132.67㎡

Building area

79.22㎡

Gross floor area

143.65㎡

Building scope

Parking

Height

5.9m

Building to land ratio

59.71%

Floor area ratio

108.28%

Structure

Exterior finishing

tile, stucco flex, stainless steel

Interior finishing

miicrete, water paint

Structural engineer

Eden structure

Mechanical and electrical engineer

Codam ENG

Construction

Design Pyeom

Design period

May – Dec. 2020

Construction period

May 2021 – Aug. 2022

Chung Isak

Chung Isak opened a.co.lab architects in 2013 and is a professor at Dongyang University. He has worked on a wide range of architectural projects and has participated in both architecture and contemporary art exhibitions as an artist and curator. He participated in the 2016 Venice Biennale (as curator and artist in the Korean Pavilion), 2016 Beijing Design Week (as curator of Korean Pavilion), ‘CAMP 2020’ (as art director), as well as in public art projects such as Seoul is a Museum and Hangang Art Park. His work has been exhibited at Seoul Museum of Art, Arko Art Center, and Busan Museum of Art. He is also the co-author of the book, The Seoul, City Microhistory (2016).