Sukchulmok and BRBB Architects wrap Pojeon House around vegetable garden
Local studios Sukchulmok and BRBB Architects have created a curving brick and concrete form to frame a central vegetable garden at this home near Seoul, South Korea.
Named Pojeon House, meaning "a house that embraces the field", the 128-square-metre residence was designed for an elderly couple who wanted privacy without sacrificing a connection to their garden, which they had cultivated for over a decade.
Sukchulmok and BRBB Architects achieved this by creating two interlocking, curved volumes in concrete and brick, presenting a blank "fortress wall" to the nearby road but overlooking the central garden through sliding glass doors.
"The core concept of Pojeon House lies in the gesture of two volumes merging together to embrace the field, ultimately becoming one unified mass," Sukchulmok's lead architect Hyunhee Park told Dezeen.
"I aimed to amplify this gesture by allowing different textures to repeat with equal rhythm, guiding them to visually cohere as a singular form," added Park.
"Positioned toward the road, its massing gives the appearance of a fortress wall, subtly concealing the interior," he added.
The volume to the south of Pojeon House is finished in red bricks with contrasting white mortar. This volume contains the main home, including a curved living, dining and kitchen space that is flanked by a bedroom at one end and a bathroom, utility and entrance at the other.
Along the entire inner wall of this volume is a row of sliding glass doors, which open onto a low-lying, built-in brick bench overlooking the central garden.
To the north of the site, a staircase leads up to a higher volume containing a guest bedroom for when the owner's adult children visit, finished in exposed concrete and sheltered from the street by a curving section of concrete wall.
Polycarbonate panels wrap this smaller guest space, offering privacy from the garden below while also creating a lantern-like effect at night.
"For the second-floor exterior, polycarbonate was chosen to emphasise the sense of two large volumes intersecting and to align with the overall tone and manner," explained Park.
"The translucent polycarbonate complements the tone of the concrete, accentuating the upper volume while, at night, allowing exterior lighting to softly illuminate the garden - almost like a streetlamp," he added.
A warm palette of timber defines the interiors, lining both the ceiling that slopes up towards the garden view, and the partitions with built-in storage that divide different areas.
This is contrasted by areas of exposed concrete in the living and entrance areas, and by the small green tiles that envelop the entire bathroom and the kitchen's floor and splashback.
"While the overall interior reads in brown tones, each wood retains its own natural hue and texture, creating a rich and layered atmosphere," said Park. "This was a conscious effort to preserve the inherent qualities of both wood and concrete."
Previous projects by Sukchulmok include the renovation of a bakery in Seoul, which features areas of mirrored stainless steel, and a photography studio in Daejaeon informed by wooden toys.
The photography is by Hong Seokgyu.
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