Samdal Oreum House

wood floor beam and ceiling, cozy pool ideas

Samdal oreum house by Formative Architects | Photo © Youngsung Koh

Architects: Formative Architects
Location: Seogwipo-Si, South Korea
Photography: Youngsung Koh

The client requested two things in the building which is satisfying mother’s house and accommodation. When we started thinking of mother’s place, we came up with her embracing arms. What reminds mother’s embracing arms in Jeju? Before long, Oreum came to our mind. There are More than 300 Oreums in Jeju and each of them are embracing cored-out center. Warmness in the center, that’s how our project began.

It’s not easy to express local feature

Dilemma of regionalism – Whenever we have to face the projects in Jeju, we are concerned about how to reflect the feature of Jeju in architecture. It’s not easy to express local feature by the architecture. In the end, it could be look like childish and one dimensional approach. Furthermore, Samdal Oreum tried to reflect local feature more drastically. As a result, we had to take into consideration of one dimensional form more carefully.

: Samdal oreum house by Formative Architects | Photo © Youngsung Koh

: Samdal oreum house by Formative Architects | Photo © Youngsung Koh

Couple of Oreum – The site is located in southeast part of Jeju which is next to tranquil seaside town. Even it’s close to the sea, it is invisible because of surrounding trees, also the site has long and flat shape. Samdal Oreum combined dwelling and accommodation. It should guarantee personal privacy and universal needs for the guests at the same time. Thus, we placed two mass on the ground which is representing atypical Oreum form. Center of Oreum will be used as a personal garden for the house and the playground for the accommodation at the same time. Throughout Intuitive but non-simple space, we left potential of diverse relations.

A single-wing house has more efficient space composition

Space composition of a single-wing house – Each house has single-wing space composition. Due to the warm climate in Jeju, we planned single wing form not multiple. Also, we put multiple openings toward courtyard to minimize influence of wind. A single-wing house has more efficient space composition for utilization of outdoor place than a house with multiple wings. It offers more room and stability.

: Samdal oreum house by Formative Architects | Photo © Youngsung Koh

: Samdal oreum house by Formative Architects | Photo © Youngsung Koh

Shape of structure – Wooden structure had been used as vertical and horizontal member of framework traditionally. We focused on a possibility that structures could be atypical appearance when they gathered with diverse degree. This is the reason why this building has hybrid structure. The architecture has form of Oreum makes wooden structure roof which is vended complicatedly is supported by complementary of concrete wall and wooden structure. We made that composition to apply wide open windows until under rafters, also it was reinforced by wooden structure because it wasn’t possible realization with only concrete beam.

Roof rafters are exposed on ceiling

According to the structure, wooden columns were exposed, interior tone could be soft. The curved beam that cannot be made with wood was alternated as steel structure with steel pipe. That provide efficient construct ability to free form roof and structural aesthetics. Therefore, the detail of joint within concrete, steel structure and wooden structure was important. We make effort using manufactured metal hardware on joint detail to prevent increasing cost. Roof rafters are exposed on ceiling to describe traditional roof structure of stone house in Jeju in the same way.

“Imagification” of local feature on architecture – Still, it raises a question whether the impression of sites and places directly becomes architectural form could be right or not. Even though we revealed imagification of Jeju as it has long been, we wish this architecture has more meaning than a superficial or intuition feature. [Project description by the Architects]