BCHO architects: scissor house

‘scissor house’ by BCHO architects in jeju, korea all images courtesy of BCHO architects photographer: wooseop hwang

seoul-based BCHO architects have finished the design of a split-level residential house on jeju island, korea. located on the southern slope of the volcanic island, ‘scissor house’ gets its name from the way it navigates and interacts with the steep site.

continuous roof

the house scissors between two tiers by stepping up and folding around a central stone wall. this formal decision not only compacts the design by pivoting the house on an axis, but allows for a small moss and stone garden in the resulting pocket space while also maintaining the natural conditions of the surrounding tangerine farm. to take advantage of the pacific breeze while still remaining sheltered from the strong tropical winds, the house is oriented towards the ocean with a low and continuous roof form. the sliding doors to the main living and dining space opens up the entire house to the ocean for much of the year.

stone and moss garden

entrance

looking into the living room

to ensure that the monolithic roof survives the typhoon-prone environment, the single slab of concrete was re-troweled every 2-3 hours during the pouring and curing process, resulting in a 8-10 millimeter thick cement seal from the existing moisture. this layer will prevent future cracks from forming while keeping the structure completely water tight.

detail of concrete wall

low basalt stone wall

living space looking out to the pacific ocean

second floor office

living and dining

stairway from the entrance

washroom

project on site

basement floor plan

first floor plan

second floor plan

roof plan

site plan

project info:

architect: byoungsoo cho project team: woohyun kang location: seohong-dong, seogqipo, jeju-do, korea site area: 3438 m2 gross floor area: 322.3 m2 total floor area: 247.2 m2 consultants: ja yeong jeju landscape architects