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Construction and Attitude: Haesley Halfway House | Shigeru Ban Architects

written by
Ban Shigeru
photographed by
Hirai Hiroyuki
materials provided by
Shigeru Ban Architects
edited by
Bang Yukyung
background

SPACE July 2024 (No. 680) 

 

 

Between Architecture and Nature, and Between Inside and Outside

Haesley Halfway House is a F&B facility within the golf course of Haesley Nine Bridge, located in Yeoju, Korea. It is where all players have to pass by, through two different approaches. Due to sloped terrain, players approaching from the 18th green would first see the roof that seems to be submerged into the landscape, whereas players from 9th green would first see the white slabs in clean geometric forms floating in the landscape. Instead of having a grand or imposing appearance, this building is intended to appear to players naturally and gradually. 

 

 

Haesley Halfway House has a simple square plan, and the second floor is purposely rotated by 45 degrees in order to minimise the overall volume. Looking from the outside, white slabs that are positioned to follow the natural terrain seem to be floating in the landscape, with large, clear sliding doors, and only slender mirror-finish columns supporting them. Upon entering inside, guests can enjoy the picturesque views through sliding doors with minimal frames that can also fully open beyond the floor plan. Guests can fully experience the intermediate space between architecture and nature, as well as space between inside and outside. 

 

 

On the inside, the large marble volumes (first floor) and wood veneer volumes (second floor) create different characteristics of each space. Large marble slabs in book-matched pattern create a continuous, monolithic wall pattern, and the two contrasting colours, green and orange, add richness and vibrancy. On the other hand, dark-coloured wood veneer is selected to create a more calm, private atmosphere.

 

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


Ban Shigeru
Ban Shigeru studied at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) from 1977 to 1980 and graduated from the Cooper Union in 1984. He founded Shigeru Ban Architects in 1985 and became consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1995. He established the NGO, Voluntary Architects¡¯ Network (VAN) in the same year to support disaster relief. He receive Recipient of Le Grade de Commandeur for L¡¯Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (2014), Pritzker Architecture Prize (2014), Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, Japan (2017) and Mother Teresa Social Justice Award (2017).

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