SPACE July 2026 (No. 704)
Sketch of the REST (2025)
Mauricio Pezo, Sofía von Ellrichshausen Co-Principals, Pezo von Ellrichshausen x Kim Jeoungeun Editor-in-Chief, SPACE, Park Jiyoun Editor, SPACE
An Assembly of Singular Pavilions
SPACE: Les Jardins de Médongaule (hereinafter Médongaule) are situated in the foothills of Yangpyeong, Korea. How did you interpret this natural landscape compared to those you’ve encountered in Chile; an approach which forms the basis of your work?
Sofía von Ellrichshausen (Ellrichshausen): Chile is a very long country, with a geography and climates that go from desert to forest to Patagonia. It would be too simplistic, even unfair, to establish any comparisons between the two countries. Perhaps the only general observation one can claim is that the south of Chile and Argentina are huge territories, with a vast sense of native monumentality. The landscape in South Korea, as far as we have visited, is on a more intimate scale.
Mauricio Pezo (Pezo): In fact, the landscape surrounding the Médongaule has its own particular beauty. It is a simple, gentle and silent backdrop.
SPACE: The Les Jardins de Médongaule has a relatively dense pavilion layout. Was there any discussion about expanding the site or removing some of the pavilions?
Ellrichshausen: We cannot answer this question either. When we were invited to participate in the project, the master plan was already defined by a landscape team.
Pezo: The master plan was for us a kind of ‘fait accompli’, a decision already taken and made fact. We thought of it as something between a collage, a patchwork and an archipelago; an assembly of singular parts.
SPACE: As far as I know, you initially joined the Médongaule project with POND (2026), the pavilion, and REST (2025), the restaurant, but later became involved in a wider range of components, including the logo, circulation paths, paintings, and additional pavilions. Did you work on any aspect of the relationship between the two buildings in the early stages?
Ellrichshausen: The initial invitation was for POND. A year later we were invited to think about the restaurant. Thus, POND had a life in itself, as a symbolic landmark announcing one’s arrival and departure from the garden. The running water, falling with the natural slope of the ground, is the key element. The water cascades down, drawn by gravity, which marks a clear difference to the experience up or down hill. However, POND is still not finished without the water, without its stream and its cloud of mist.
Pezo: Since REST came later, we had a better idea of the possible connections to other elements in the garden. That said, the gardens themselves also changed along the way. I believe this ‘organic growth’ is literally and metaphorically what makes a garden a living organism. In any case, the two buildings are unique in their own manner. They do share a horizontal form...
