小窝之家丨韩国丨Architecture Lab Boum

Architects:Architecture Lab Boum

Area:300m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Joel Moritz

Lead Architects:You Hong Kim

Lead Team:Da In Chae

Design Team:Ye Eun Kim

City:Yangpyeong-gun

Country:South Korea

Text description provided by the architects. The village faces west, where the river flows slowly, gently embracing this serene small town. The site reveals itself as you take the hidden path next to Seojong Middle School, which feels like a gateway to another world. To the southwest, a concrete retaining wall, adorned with grass for over 20 years, borders the land.

"I think I can see the river from the second floor. Please make a terrace for the children's room on the west side of the second floor," the client mentioned during our first meeting. "I want the house to be dark at night. I don't want lights in the yard, and I don't want lights from my neighbors to the north." Therefore, we decided not to install windows on the north side. Upon opening the front door after passing through the dark porch made of rough-split bricks, you'll be greeted by bright light and a green courtyard visible through the 7.7-meter-wide veranda with eaves measuring 3.2 meters deep.

"And can we build a wall that shields the yard from view? The neighbors on the east side are higher than ours." The house next door faces to the south, and we needed a privacy solution. I envisioned a wall that wouldn't just serve as a barrier but something more integrated and functional. The terrace inside this wall needed to be a place where the children could step out and relax. The four sisters, reminiscent of Louisa May Alcott's novel "Little Women," which begins with "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents" (though in this case, their father comes home early, unlike the father away fighting in the Civil War in the novel), would be able to see their mother in the courtyard at any time and view the river from this terrace.

Thus, the client's request transformed the wall into more than just a barrier; it became a transitional element that blends the floor and wall, rising into an elliptical curve. This curve is experienced in the ceiling in the living room and a raised wall on the terrace. The volume of this curve also accommodates stairs, a high window ensuring bright light, and a sheltered space before heading out to the terrace. Someday, the girls will bask in the sunlight in this “little nest”-like space, leaning gently against the curved bricks.

Project gallery