
first image
'house of january, house on the demarcation' by studio gaon, jeonju, korea
image © youngchae park
all images courtesy of studio gaon
the 'house of january, house on the demarcation' by korean practice studio gaon, sits in a village called banwall on the outskirts of jeonju, one of the most
calm and beautiful city of korea. with a pine forest on north and an orchard to south, the most peculiar aspect of the site is the graveyard to the west,
which also defines the outermost boundary of the village. the home is erected on several overlapping of demarcation; between the dead and living;
between various levels of ground; between the client's old job and new beginning. in this position, the home is like a gate that transcends the physical
and spiritual boundaries, embracing a peaceful and unrestricted life like a character in a forgotten story book.
comprised of two structures, the brick-clad construct contains the recreational and leisure activities, and faces slightly east towards the 'moak mountain.'
the other edifice, a wrapped in vertical wood planks, defines the domestic functions of life and faces due south. the independent structures create a madang,
or empty space, in between them, and has no definite shape of its own. it works both as a buffer and also as an active division simultaneously, it is a feature
that has meaning only because it is not filled. the ‘maru’ (korean terrace) that faces this madang is a distinctive spatial element that is neither inside nor outside,
a demarcation between interior and exterior. the name therefore derives from this distinction of borders, as the month of january is the threshold between
one chapter in time and the next.
a korean poet once cried, 'on each and every boundary, the flowers abound generously.'
walk through
video © minjung choi

east elevation
image © youngchae park

image © youngchae park

south elevation and entry road
image © youngchae park

west elevation and madang
image © youngchae park

surrounded by fields on each side
image © youngchae park

image © youngchae park

image © youngchae park

image © youngchae park

image © youngchae park

exterior deck connects both structures
image © youngchae park

entry stairs
image © youngchae park

image © youngchae park

living room
image © youngchae park

stairs
image © youngchae park

bedroom

bridge and upper space of living room

living room (view from the bridge)
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site plan

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

section

section

section

section

elevation

elevation

elevation

elevation

watercolor

watercolor
project info:
architect: hyoungnam lim, eunjoo roh in studio_gaon
project team: sangwoo yi, minjung choi, sungpil lee, seongwon son, miso kim, haelee jung
photographs: youngchae park
location: banwall-dong, deokjin-gu, jeonju-si, jeonbuk, korea
use: house
site area: 747㎡
building area: 126.26㎡
gross floor area: 194.59㎡
building scope: 2f
building-to-land ratio: 16.9%
floor area ratio: 26.05%
structure: lightweight wood-frame construction
finish: red pine, red brick
roof: zinc
supervision: studio_gaon
design period: 2011.08 - 2012.04
construction period: 2012.05 - 2012.09
Nice attempt at the subtle le Corbusier. Can’t get over that exterior texture though.