pezo von ellrichshausen raises field of inhabitable columns for restaurant in south korea

pezo von ellrichshausen embeds REST into the korean landscape

Set at the edge of a protected forest in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, overlooking the Medongaule botanical garden, REST is a restaurant by Pezo von Ellrichshausen that reads as a piece of infrastructure embedded in the landscape. Designed for Les Jardins de Medongaule, the project unfolds as a monumental concrete structure that hosts culinary programs ranging from intimate dining to large social gatherings.

The entire structure is constructed in reinforced concrete, finished with a soft green tint that subtly echoes the surrounding vegetation. Dark oak and terrazzo claddings introduce warmth and tactile contrast, grounding the heavy structure in a restrained material palette. 

A regular grid of sixteen rectangular columns defines the building; their exaggerated thickness transforms them into inhabitable elements. Space exists not only between the columns but also within them. Below the main structure, a fully buried, specialized kitchen supports the entire operation, freeing the upper levels from service constraints and allowing the architecture above to remain spatially abstract.

images © Pezo von Ellrichshausen

a concrete infrastructure shaped by inhabitable columns

REST asserts itself as a dense, almost archaic presence. The Concepción-based architects at Pezo von Ellrichshausen describe it as a ‘mute monument’, cornered against the forest and grounded on a gentle slope. Its position allows the building to mediate between cultivated garden and protected nature. The ambiguity of the structure is intentional, leaving its meaning open and its spatial reading unresolved.

The building is organized into three distinct strata that respond to both topography and use. The lowest level follows the natural slope of the site, forming a covered amphitheater that funnels activity toward the valley. Above it, an intermediate layer is suspended beneath a thick horizontal slab, structured around a diagonal symmetry created by open corner terraces at opposite ends. The uppermost level sits atop a non-directional platform, where ten-meter-tall, obelisk-like columns frame panoramic views in multiple orientations, turning the surrounding landscape into a shifting backdrop.

freestanding columns frame panoramic views of the surrounding forest

abstraction as a framework for use

The massiveness of the columns and slab establishes a sense of permanence and intensity. Light and shadow move across an environment that oscillates between opacity and transparency, evoking what the architects reference as Nietzsche’s ‘X factor’, something fundamentally inaccessible and undefinable. The abstraction of the project is not detached from experience but operates as an extension of a ‘native feeling’.

By keeping the columns formally inexpressive, REST introduces a deliberate vacancy. Furniture and temporary elements become the agents that activate the space. Tables and chairs configure everyday meals or exceptional events within the suspended salon, while columns on the lower and upper levels act as supports for garlands, candles, or canopies, accommodating rituals, celebrations, and social assemblies without prescribing their form in advance.

a curved ramp connects the different strata

the regular grid of green-tinted columns establishes a non-directional field

a terrazzo platform unfolds among ten-meter-tall concrete columns

the lowest stratum follows the site’s natural slope

exaggerated column thickness creates inhabitable voids within the structure

a central opening cuts through the concrete mass

the intermediate layer is suspended beneath the slab

circular openings and dark timber ceilings introduce moments of light and material contrast

the suspended dining salon remains formally restrained

the monumental slab rests on a forest of columns

the project reads as a compact concrete platform set against the surrounding wooded landscape

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the scale of the columns becomes legible through occupation

a curved ramp weaves through the landscape

at dusk, the elevated dining level glows beneath the thick concrete slab

acrylic drawing of the structure

acrylic drawing of the structure

acrylic drawing of the structure

acrylic drawing of the structure

axonometric

site plan

first floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

roof plan

elevation A

elevation B

elevation C

elevation D

section A

section B

project info:

name: REST

architect: Pezo von Ellrichshausen | @pezovonellrichshausen

location: Medongaule Garden, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

building surface: 1,563 square meters indoor, 1,813 square meters outdoor, 3,376 square meters total

site surface: 5,208 square meters

client: Les Jardins de Medongaule

lead architects: Mauricio Pezo & Sofia von Ellrichshausen

collaborators: Emilie Kjaer, Francesco Caminati, Masha Arnold, Manuel Heck, Beatrice Pedrotti, Lukas Vajda

local architect: See Architects

structure: Chang Minwoo

construction: C&O

consultants: Macand Mec Inkok Enc, Rainbowscape

landscape: Jardins de Sericourt / Dongsimwon Landscape Design

photographer: © Pezo von Ellrichshausen