Carapace is a term that refers to the hard shell that protects the bodies of animals, such as crustaceans and turtles, primarily in the biological context. It is one of the important defenses each living thing acquired during its evolution, and it protects its body from external threats and safely wraps up important organs inside. The carapace of crustaceans is a hard exoskeleton that covers the head and chest, consisting of chitin, which protects the body from physical damage or predators. During the breakaway process, a new carapace is formed, and it also protects internal organs and prevents water loss from the external environment. The turtle also has a carapace that consists of a shell and a shell in which the spine and ribs are fused, contributing to body temperature regulation and body protection. Even in spiders and scorpions, carapace has a hard plate structure that covers the head and chest, protecting it from the external environment and providing a body support structure.
Carapas is a structure that has evolved independently from various animals and is an important defense mechanism that enables survival in a variety of environments. It has evolved to suit the characteristics of each environment and organism and performs important functions in various biomes. This Carapas concept can also be applied to architecture. Architecture is a fundamental activity that humans began to protect themselves from the surrounding environment. In the early days, it started out as a primitive hut to avoid rain and wind, and over time, it has developed into a more sophisticated and complex structure according to human needs and environments. In this respect, architecture can be seen as a human carapace. How can the concept of carapace within a city evolve in modern times as architecture serves more than just physical protection?
This project was started in a quiet residential area in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, based on this very concept of carapace. The land located between the dense residential area and the apartment opposite needed an architectural carapace that could block visual interference and provide a safe and comfortable space for users. This building was intended to interact with the surroundings in different areas, thereby forming an architectural carapace that is closely related to human life.
First, the first floor was designed with an open structure that maximizes the interaction with the surroundings with a transparent glass window and a high floor. Taking advantage of the characteristics of the slope, the floor of the first floor was lowered than that of the entrance, and the space was retreated from the roadside to become an intimate space. This space, open to the outside but protected internally, functions as if living carapas react differently depending on the environment.
The middle floors of the second and third floors were installed by double-laying opaque walls in front of the glass surface to block the view from the apartment in the front. This element protects the privacy of the residence, but it becomes a terrace space that is not stuffy because it is opened in the sky, and a wetland garden with a small water space is provided inside so that the room can feel the openness connected to nature. The walls of the middle floor created a cozy and intimate space in a dense residential area, and functioned as an independent yard space combined with landscaping so that unusual events could be enjoyed. Moreover, the dilemma of installing shielding films for each window was solved with an architectural structure in case a civil complaint about visual blocking occurs from nearby residential facilities when building a residential area.
The upper layers of the 4th and 5th floors were formed by protruding louver-shaped aluminum fins at intervals of 60 cm from the glass window to create a closed volume when viewed from the outside, but open facade inside. In addition, since it is possible to block the gaze to some extent depending on the transparency of the glass surface, black-coated glass is used to block the gaze from the inside but black-coated glass is used from the outside to block the gaze, and white-fit glass is used on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Different layers of transparency and shielding films are applied to control the interaction between the inside and the outside, and simultaneously provide residents' privacy and psychological stability.
Through a variety of architectural elements—deep space composition, double walls, changes in physical properties, and utilization of louvers and transparency—this project was intended to provide users with more than just physical protection like a living carapace. In a dense city, this architectural carapace sought to present a different approach to exploring ways to protect human privacy, provide psychological stability, and balance with the external environment. If living things' carapas enabled survival from external threats, architectural carapas would evolve into spatial devices that enrich human life through harmony with the outside.
