U RETREAT

Hongcheon-gun, South Korea

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Other Projects by Heesoo Kwak + IDMM Architects

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U RETREAT

Hongcheon-gun, South Korea

Firm

Heesoo Kwak + IDMM Architects

Type

Hospitality + Sport › Hotel

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2016

U RETREAT

Hongcheon-gun (洪川) Daegok-ri(垈谷), which literally means “wide lake” and “high mound”, is a name that alludes to the long persisting conditions of the land. A vertical cliff at an altitude of 100m, known as the Sori-san mountain range, Sari-gol Valley, looks down on the site from as little a distance as 40m away. The scale of the cliff, pinned down with enormous stones, and the vitality of the unwittingly flourishing vegetation within it, overwhelms the surroundings.

Movement and Flow

The wind that passes through the valley forms a sense of movement which shakes the entirety of the cliff. The small gestures of the trees, each of which shake according to their weight, come together to form a flowing cliff. How could architecture embody the seasons and the climate, as well as the movement and flow of the cliff which change with each and every instant?

Jeongja(亭子) architecture

The Jeongja is a space which is unified with nature, liberating its users from the confines of the home. The program of the Jeongja is rest, play, and retreat with the nature. The enormous screen on the steep site was inspired by the concept of ‘height’ forming a relationship with the cliff alluding to an ink-and-wash painting (sumi-e). The concept of height was applied to each of the units, so that users may enjoy the surroundings at a variety of levels. Each skipped unit conceives various retreat places, diverse leveled interior spaces, the skipped terraces, a private pool and spa and so on.

A Continuous Spatial Experience
Like the image of the cliff and an assembly of trees, U RETREAT is also composed of unit organisms that have been transposed through architecture. The design of each unit was inspired by each of the moments that such a flowing motion is generated. Like the minimal space that each tree occupies where it touches upon the ground, each unit was ultimately restrained in its contact with the ground, to counter the conditions of the irregular ground level. This has allowed the architecture to be liberated from the irregular slope. Like this manner, architecture embraces the uncertainty of the nature.

PHOTOS Kim Jaeyoun

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U RETREAT

Hongcheon-gun, South Korea

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U RETREAT

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Team

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U RETREAT

Hongcheon-gun, South Korea

Other Projects by Heesoo Kwak + IDMM Architects

FORT & PORT

ALEFFEE

Yangpyeong CAFORE

Guesthouse Rivendell

Gijang Waveon

The Closest Church

U RETREAT

Hongcheon-gun, South Korea

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team