The beginning of Wooa Dang
From the beginning to the end, Wooa Dang is a project in which the client and architect pondered over the question of ‘What is a good house?’ in search of an answer. Is it even possible for the name Wooa Dang to define our thoughts in that one word? The name has several meanings, such as ‘our beautiful house’,
‘Nawoo and Noah’s house’, and the expression of admiration ‘wow!’.
The layout of Wooa Dang
The place where Wooa Dang is located is the last remaining spot in a collective housing area. Inheriting the rhythm and flow of the layout of the existing units, we tried to draw out the full potential of the site.
Drawing the first line was the hardest part. The growth management plan was announced at the time when the direction of the plan was being determined, changing the conditions of the site and giving a new direction to the plan. While the original plan focused on physically
connecting spaces through sunken and skip floors, the changed plan focused on creating a space with visual connection inside by removing the basement floor and raising the program to the ground level.
Therefore, it was important to create a space that expands to the outside by borrowing landscape and to reflect the human scale of the family as much as possible. There is a lush forest north of Wooa Dang, which we used to our full advantage to overcome what was considered a spatial limitation. The border between the forest and Wooa Dang is on the same axis, giving a dramatic synaesthetic experience through the living room window. The window on the north side is situated in an empty space, making it feel like a larger space to its residents. The most important factor in the family’s human scale was the child’s eye level. We intended to create a sequence where the space that can only be seen at the parent’s eye level can be seen by the child at the same time. This large window in the living room allows you to experience the four seasons from within the house. Sunlight comes in through the large window in the south-facing kitchen. The shape of the gable roof reveals the shape of a house imagined by the family.
In addition, the Wooa Dang was built with a wooden structure, and the three floors were designed with special wood applied. Instead of filling all the interior and exterior spaces, a porch space on the first floor and a terrace on the third floor were designed to create a house that
connects naturally with the inside of the house and has a space for various outdoor activities.