‘H house’ by bang by min, seoul, koreaimage © yoon joonhwanall images courtesy of bang by min

 

 

the ‘H house’ in the valley of seongbuk-dong just north of seoul, and designed by korean practice bang by min, manages a rather complex set ofparameters in program and site to accommodate the owner’s specifications: it must be a house where three generations can live at the same time,it must be very well ventilated and have plentiful amounts of day light especially in the basement and first level, and it must contain a groundfloor commercial space. the property has a height difference of eight meters, which means that the first two stories are partially under groundand suffered dark damp conditions in the previously existing dwelling. the solution can be thought of as a small tower resting on a concrete plinthcontaining the garage and commercial space, a beauty shop called ‘miega.’ primarily supported by a concrete shear wall structure, stacked spacesof differing materials create semi-individual living areas. the second storey acts as the communal space, where three living rooms of various heights create a natural separation for each of the nuclear families, connected or separated by retractable walls. overhanging volumes and deep eaves shade the large west-facing windows, with wooden screens for privacy.

 

set in from the property edge, the dwelling allows views in all directions and therefore plenty of natural light and ventilation. in response to the previousissues with the subterranean levels, a sunken courtyard was created that also offers a private exterior area. various cuts and voids in the primarystructure create moments for light to illuminate the interior, making all the programmatic elements feel airy and light. gardens and other embedded courtyards add to this effect and create a strong relationship between the outside and inside. an atrium in the center of the project contains a hangingmult-use area that exhibits a space within a space. the rooftop garden allows the users a view over the valley from the highest point, as well asanother place to escape company without actually leaving the residence.

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulretractable wooden screens close off certain volumesimage © designboomcourtesy yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulrear viewimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulbird’s eye view over the garden and siteimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoul(left) entry stairs(right) entrance into second floorimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoul(left) entry courtyard(right) sunken entrance to the lower levelsimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoul(left) stairs located within a wood-clad form(right) rear side, translucent windows provide light and privacyimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulinner courtyard illuminates all levelsimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulexterior stairs to rooftop gardenimages © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulrooftop gardenimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulsunken courtyard to combat dark and damp subterranean spacesimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulside entryimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulliving roomsimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoullarge retractable walls partition spacesimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulslightly varying levels suggest separated living areasimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulopen screen exposing viewsimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulclosed screen for shade and privacyimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulhanging wooden box as multi-use spaceimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulliving roomimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulstairwellimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulbedroomimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulbedroomimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoul

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © yoon joonhwan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © bang by min

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © bang by min

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulimage © bang by min

 

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoul

bang by min: H house, seoulsite plan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulfloor plan / level 0

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulfloor plan / level 1

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulfloor plan / level 2

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulroof plan

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulfloor plan / level -1

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulsection

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulsection

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulsection

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulelevation

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulelevation

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulelevation

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulspatial distributionimage © designboomcourtesy bang by min

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulmodel

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulcirculation diagram

 

 

bang by min: H house, seoulspatial activity overlap