Project: Dogok Maximum
Architects: Moon Hoon
Location: Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Area: 432 sq ft
Photographs by: Namgoong Sun, courtesy of Moon Hoon
Moon Hoon have designed a narrow structure called Dogok Maximum in Seoul’s Gangnam district. The structure primarily functions as a residence and a photography studio. The building boasts a distinctive concrete facade covered with angled lines that separate the home’s windows. The entire design scheme is a response to the urban setting in which the house is located where privacy and seclusion are required at all times.
The interior gets enough natural light through the windows which have designed in a way to protect the inhabitants from prying eyes at the same time.
From the architects: “It reflects the client’s personality in a frank manner. Considering that the client, who had dreamt all kinds of mysterious dreams only to overcome them while living in a house built on a rock of mystical forces at a high area of Gangbuk, Seoul, purchased the plot of a fortuneteller and a shaman beside a tall wall in Gangnam, this is a world that must be full of many unexplainable things. In contemporary terms, this building would be considered a mixed-use narrow house, combining a basement studio for the client’s son, a photographer, a reception area, as well as a residence for mother and son that has been equipped with a compact elevator to account for the weakened joints of the elderly.
I feel uncomfortable whenever I see contemporary buildings with large openings. Such an entrance could be even worse if it is for a residence because personally I think it is often feared that it would only allow too much light inside and violate my privacy. Of course, it can be controlled with a variety of devices, such as curtains or louvers, but they can’t be used as the fundamental solution. Thus, I proposed small and unique windows to my client for this project. At first, they were concerned that it would be too dark inside but it has resulted in a space that has both sufficiently bright spots and dark ones.
While I was blithely dancing along with the imaginary building line, in addition to my habit of desiring ‘to connect things that seem irrelevant with lines’, I also established the order of randomness and this became the basis for designing external appearance of buildings. Virtually projected on the building, the lines were left as decorative marks on the interior walls. The biggest reason for taking on an uncontrollable situation as a designer or handing over the role of designer to random events and chance is not because I am indifferent but because they often present better solutions than I.”
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