kengo kuma designs jeju ball for art villa complex in korea

kengo kuma designs jeju ball for art villa complex in korea

all images courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

the ever-developing paradisiacal landscape of jeju island is now home to a series of art villas by kengo kuma. the japanese architect designed block D of the complex, drawing from the forms of the island’s oreums, the jeju word for a distinct, small volcanic cone prevalent on the island. the plan resembles that of a cul-de-sac; however, the formal gesture of the buildings lie in the rock-topped curved roofs whose underbellies display a characteristic lattice of impeccably joined wood. the villas, available for rent or ownership, focus on the flexibility and strength of geographic forms and prefer to convey an architecture that is informed by natural phenomena. the additive structure seems to envision the space beneath a volcanic cone, albeit at the scale of a parasite volcano. the domestic dimensions are articulated by a material palette distinguished by texture– two typologies of stone clarify vertical walls versus rough, dome-like horizontal planes and a wooden skin creates woven lines within interior spaces. in the multi-level villas, round volumes are perched atop orthogonal masses. while the buildings are a careful composition of contradictions, the block’s material and formal specificity to island geology inextricably links the built form to the landscape.

volcanic rock tops the curved forms of the all the villas

the curved form is subtracted at the thresholds

the form is woven into the landscape with material

kengo kuma designs jeju ball for art villa complex in korea

interior view

kengo kuma designs jeju ball for art villa complex in korea

the hotel-homes enjoy island views