ASI 之家丨韩国加平郡丨NOMAL

Architects:NOMAL

Area:195m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Yong Joon Choi

Structural Engineering:Seoul Structural Engineering & Consulting Co.Ltd

Mechanical Engineering:Chung Lim Mechanical Engineering & Consultant

Civil Engineers:Chungang Architect & Survey Engineer

Architects:Minyuk Chai, Bokki Lee, Seyeon Cho, Haewon Lee

Telecommunication Equipment:Chunil Engineering.co., LTD.

City:Gapyeong-gun

Country:South Korea

Text description provided by the architects. The English word 'stay', which means 'to continue to be in a place and not leave', has become a noun that replaces the meaning of 'sensuous accommodation' in Korea. The first concern for the project was what makes this market unique between various genres of accommodation such as hotels, motels, inns, and resorts. 'Stay' is a fully furnished single-family house for daily rent for people who dream about living in a house. Since the primary housing market is apartments in Korea, many people dream of building and living in a home or having a weekend house. However, it requires a high investment of time and money. Therefore, the 'stay' market can be an attractive point to fulfill this desire to live in a house. Consumers can choose a variety of weekend houses without going through these processes.

Glass House -  Food, clothing, and shelter are elements we enjoy every day. Therefore, there are times when there must be pleasant elements to enjoy every day, but there are also moments when unique clothes, food, and places are required. 'Stay' is a market for this particular moment. In 1949, Philip Johnson built a glass house on 190,000 ㎡ property in New Canaan, Connecticut. He created a beautiful landscape and called his glass wall 'a very expensive wallpaper'.

At the time, the glass house was not well-equipped with insulation or air conditioning, so it was a suffocating space that was practically unusable. Also, it was a burdensome space to live in, as it was made entirely of glass. Therefore, Philip Johnson built a Brick House beside it to have privacy and other necessary facilities. Indeed, He loved Glass House so much that he ended his life in Glass House. Although a glass house is inconvenient for daily use, it would be a perfect place to travel and live in nature. Moreover, with modern technology, insulation or air conditioning is no longer a problem in glass houses.

ASI - On 2538 ㎡ of land, an old house was already in place. The client wanted their home and check-in lobby in this old house. They also wanted to provide breakfast for the guests here. Therefore, it was essential to arrange between the existing and new architecture. There had to be no interference between the old house and the two glass houses within a short distance. At the early stage, the client wanted two glass houses. However, it became a single house with two units to save on construction costs. These units are looking in different directions. They both can fully enjoy the advantages of a glass house. The mechanical room was placed between the two rooms to separate units with mechanical efficiency. Each unit and the mechanical room do not interfere with each other.

Pillars were placed inside the window to maximize the glass house. The roof slab thickness is to secure sufficient structural and facility space while minimizing the shape and proportions to make it look the same as the thickness of the floor slab. Living rooms are wide open, while toilets and a mechanical room are firmly closed. The two units each embodied different characteristics. The first unit has furniture in the center, and the border is empty. Conversely, the second unit placed furniture around the border, leaving the center blank. This layout provides comfort like the usual residential space. On the other hand, the first unit emphasizes the characteristics of a glass house. Through this, we hoped that visitors could choose a room to suit their tastes.

ASI is a place where you have to go deep in the mountains. The surrounding mountains sometimes have blue skies and sometimes have thick fog. The trees also create a variety of spectacular views each season, from green to colorful autumn leaves to white snow piling up. ASI will be able to experience these changes in nature.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea