Moheon was built as an annex to a house where Mr. You had lived for forty years near Kyoungbook National University. Living in the same place in the heart of the city for forty years is no easy feat. Surrounding conditions change, lifestyles evolve, and in the dynamic contemporary South Korea, it’s unusual to live in one place for 35 years. Originally, this area was near the main gate of Kyoungpook National University, but as the geographical conditions changed with a new back gate, the economic landscape around this house declined.
However, while living here, Mr. You established a significant steel company and ironically, sought to rejuvenate the declining area through architecture and landscaping. As his first step, he purchased the land across from his house and, in a traditional Japanese garden style, began to transform it into a special place. While working on this project and inviting Japanese garden designer Marshin Kawagishi, who specializes in traditional Japanese gardens, Mr. Yoo decided to ask me to design a building adjacent to his existing house to create a Korean garden, a stark contrast to the Japanese garden.
The purpose of the annex was to serve the guestroom for enjoying the garden with invited guests. I believed that if the annex was to serve its purpose of appreciating the garden, it should not have a strong presence. Creating diverse and abundant spaces was a priority, and the house had to be a tool to limit these spaces.
Although the land was about 330 sqm, in the end, for courtyards were created. To maximize the area of the front yard, the house was pushed backward, creating two layers. The front layer, used as a dining room, was made transparent so that the backyard bedroom could see the front yard.
The two courtyards formed by connecting these two layers allowed light to enter the underground floor. In the corridor between them, a small courtyard with bamboo planted outside the bedroom window was create, enhancing the depth and richness of the space. The interior of the dining room had a variable wall made of wooden panels, which could create different types of spaces as needed. The transparent dining area had the effect of visually expanding the size of the land. The entire site was surrounded by a Corten steel wall, the same height as the house, emphasizing the tension of the empty space within it. We waited for Master Jung YoungSun to decide on the landscaping.
Master Jung’s landscaping exceeded both Mr. You’s and my expectations. I had envisioned a scene of a few white branches of a tree atainst a background of Corten steel in the small front yard, which is only 165 sqm. However, Master Jung densely planted cherry trees in this small space, filling it with small, rough stones. It was a work of magic. Not only did it achieve my hope that only landscaping would remain, but it also added a profound beauty to this small space, different from the Japanese garden.
The atmosphere of a traditional Korean room in the main house, as you sit in the main hall, open the sliding door, and pass through the transparent dining room to see the landscape of the garden, is deep and rich. The fact that architecture had to give way for landscaping to take center stage was a success. Mr. You, who is sensitive to emotions, expressed his deep emotions through phone calls and messages when the sound of rain, wind, and snow fell here.
