Walls, often relegated to mere boundaries, take center stage in South Korea, defining the entire design concept from its facade to spatial spatial program. The building unfolds through the manipulation of these architectural elements which transcend their role as dividers to shape every aspect of the structure. Responding to the site context, architectural form, and construction, the facade echoes the serenity within, achieved through a strategic interplay of building, suspending, blocking, and opening walls.
Along the streetscape, the office embraces Hanji paper shades composed of molded Mulberry wood fiber that intersect with metal screens made of twisted stainless steel wires woven together. Both elements, rooted in Korean craft, together embody the company’s identity while seeking to soften the otherwise austere front, showcasing brightness and white as the preferred hue for the project.
Located in the Village of Love, a rural housing complex which once embraced a horizontally connected landscape, the Basics Office Building sits at the front of a line of stepped stone embankment. We seeks to preserve the essence of the place through the manipulation of walls, while embracing the site’s vertically repeated surroundings. The primary exterior wall acts as a fence between the workplace and its neighboring residential space, ensuring privacy for both domains. Adapting to the undulating terrain, these walls block intrusive views while coming together to form each facade elevation and shape the building. The front facade, however, rigidly adheres to the horizontal lines of the fence, emphasizing design over contextual response.
Within the building, the architects have placed vertical elements of the building onto the load-bearing interior walls which begin to define functional zones — west for toilets and elevators, east for stairs — creating a harmonious working environment between them. Exterior walls serve as expressive architectural forms and bear witness to the contextual influences, evident at the entry, garden, and rooftop levels.
intricate design details soften the Basics Office Building’s otherwise austere front
a bright and luminous interior
Outcome of Hanji craft
Research of fiber structure after manufacturing