Farmer's House (ㄷhouse)
The courtyard in the center of the house becomes integrated with the inner space while changing the impression of the house occasionally as a water playground for children on summer days, a barbecue yard under moonlight in autumn and snowy landscape in winter. The roof, which slopes very low towards the courtyard so to make the top plane visible from the inside, not only adds to the openness of the courtyard but also blurs the boundaries of the inner space and the courtyard, making the house look more spacious than it actually is.
Having the common scenery in mind such as the single-storey houses with gabled roof, warehouses, and simple vinyl greenhouses, familiar forms and materials are used in somewhat unconventional ways that makes the house not so boring and foreign in the neighborhood. By using the corrugated galvanized steel plate for roofing which is very common in the countryside and stretching the wooden rafters lightly on solid brick walls, it was intended to give the intermediate sensibility between the Traditional Korean House (Hanok) and vernacular folk houses.
Farmer’s House (ㄷHouse)
It sounds very romantic to imagine building a house in the middle of a green rice field, but in reality the situation was not so mild to feel to get sentimental. The house could not be free from the gaze of others because the intercity bus terminal was in the vicinity. Therefore, the most important thing for the family is a protected exterior space where they could enjoy outdoor activities of the rural life with their two young children.
The house had to be one and at the same time two because they were supposed to live with grandparents. And lastly, the house should look bigger than it is, just as a single-story house with the Korean letter 'ㄷ'-shaped floor plan, where the courtyard in the middle seemed to be part of the inner space.
Compared to 'ㅁ' shape, 'ㄷ'-shaped plan could be easily divided into two areas for the privacy of the family and the area in the middle could be used as a public space in the house connecting the two areas. The inner space is divided into three areas with their own orientation: the family rooms, the grandparents or the guest area and the living and dining space which serve as a bridge to connect the previous two.
On the other end of the courtyard that is enclosed by the 'ㄷ'-shaped space stands a wall with a large gate which can shelter the outdoor activities from the outside and also welcomes neighbors when the gate is open.
The courtyard in the center of the house becomes integrated with the inner space while changing the impression of the house occasionally as a water playground for children on summer days, a barbecue yard under moonlight in autumn and snowy landscape in winter.
The roof, which slopes very low towards the courtyard so to make the top plane visible from the inside, not only adds to the openness of the courtyard but also blurs the boundaries of the inner space and the courtyard, making the house look more spacious than it actually is.
Country Home
Thinking a new house in the countryside had to be somewhat different from houses in residential development area of the city. Having the common scenery in mind such as the single-storey houses with gabled roof, warehouses, and simple vinyl greenhouses, familiar forms and materials are used in somewhat unconventional ways that makes the house not so boring and foreign in the neighborhood.
By using the corrugated galvanized steel plate for roofing which is very common in the countryside and stretching the wooden rafters lightly on solid brick walls, it was intended to give the intermediate sensibility between the Traditional Korean House (Hanok) and vernacular folk houses.
In the courtyard, concrete wall painted in white and rough wooden gate with its exposed supporting structure reveal more of the feeling of the countryside with its rough soil on the ground.
In addition, exposed ceiling with cement-plaster, a concrete pillar with its traces of formwork and rough white-painted chimney are balanced with white-painted walls inside and elegant windows while showing more contrast.
House with Green Bricks
With the lighting in the circular opening on the south which can light up the courtyard and the street at the same time, front facade of the house highlights its presence creating a unique impression. However, because of green bricks surrounding the house coherently, it does not lose the unity of the whole.
The greenish exterior of the house, which is unusual to be seen in the city, becomes a part of surroundings while hiding in the green rice field in the summer and contrasting with the golden field in the autumn.
Large opening on the main entrance, stone frame surrounding the big windows and high chimney create an effect of obscuring the dimension of the house from distance and making the house somewhat smaller than its actual size. It is another characteristic of this house that the same material is used on the exterior but all four elevations are quite different within this very simple floor plan.
High chimney doesn't act for the heating, but rather stands as a mere decorating element and has the meaning of symbolic representation which recalls memories of childhood in the country house.
