Farmer’s House
The house appears to be topped with the mountain behind it above its flat roof.
A wide field that changes every moment is contained between the roof and the toenmaru, narrow rectangular wooden porch outside of Korean room. As if it had been quietly located in the same place of the village for a long time, the village and the landscape creep in from time to time. The house naturally walks into the village and the landscape that can be seen anywhere in the countryside. Once filtered by the spatial composition, specific materials, and the views suggested by the house, the village and the landscape emit recency.
It is a quiet rural village in Hwasun, Jeollanam-do, covered by mountains, paddy fields and small houses. The client, after closing 40 years’ landscaping business in Seoul, decides to return to this hometown village and to plant and grow trees.
The house has a simple and honest appearance resembling the owner, as if it were to support the life of this new farmer to preserve the streams and mountains of his hometown.
The site is located at the end of the village coming down from the bottom of the mountain. To the south, it faces the warehouse of a neighbor, and to the north, the view is open to the rice fields. It seems there must have been a conflict to choose between the direction and the view. As a result, the main yard is placed on the northwest side facing the paddy field, and the entry yard is located on the east side facing the village road. The decision was made in a way that maximizes the uniqueness of the site.
When you enter the house, the view of the surrounding nature fills the house like a watercolor painting through the front window. On the other hand, the thick stone wall that fills one side of the hallway is quite rough. In contrast to the transparent feeling of the front window, the wall balances the weight of the space. The natural stone that makes up the stone wall is a native material that the client dug up by hand from the site. Based on this wall, the floor is divided into two areas, a shared space with a living room and kitchen, and a private space consisting of a bedroom and a bathroom. The common space is extended to the floor over the front window, and furthermore, it has a continuous sense of space that connects to the yard and the field. A long concrete wall is erected along the entrance yard facing the village road. It is a barrier that can maximize the sense of openness of the public space and a device that protects the privacy.
The corridor between the two separate areas consists of a low storage wall and a skylight in addition to a wall made of natural stone.
The 1.9 meter high storage wall that does not reach the ceiling shield the view from the entrance but does not block the space giving a sense of openness to the boudoir while creating a cozy atmosphere.
The skylight is a device that complements the sunlight from the south in this north-facing house.
The light falling from the skylight hits the stone wall and adds a touch of elegance to the interior with the unique texture and contrast of the raw material.
Project: Farmer’s House / Location: Hangye 3-gil, Hancheon-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea / Architect: PLANO architects & associates / Architect in Charge: Minsung Park, Wongil Lee, Geunhye Kim / Use: Single Family House / Site area: 384m2 / Bldg. area: 142.6m2 / Gross floor area: 93.96m2 / Bldg. coverage ratio: 37.14% / Gross floor ratio: 24.47% / Bldg. scale: One story / Completion: 2021 / Photograph: ⓒYongjoon Choi(courtesy of the architect)
