Project: Multi Terrace House
Architecture: Hyunjoon Yoo Architects
Lead Architects: Hyunjoon Yoo, Jiyoung Jon
Structure Engineers: SEN Engineering Group
Civil Engineers: ANAM ENG
Interior Designers: Kieda Partners, LSB design
Builders: JEHYO
Location: Seongnam-si, South Korea
Area: 429 m²
Year: 2021
Photo credits: Kyungsub Shin
The Unjung-dong housing complex, where the Multi Terrace House is located, utilizes a sloping site to its advantage. Among residential types, the difference between single-family houses and apartments is the yard. And in Multi Terrace House, the difference in level between the road and the first floor naturally creates a private front yard. The more the yard is private, the more its utilization increases.
But recently, houses located in flat areas have been designed to have narrow courtyards with their walls being the perimeter of the house (perimeter block housing) to keep it private, which takes up more space, and make the users feel enclosed even when they are outside. The Multi Terrace House however actively utilizes the advantages of the site and designs the space around an open but private yard.The client is a married couple with two children that now lives apart and needed a place to live with their dog. They wanted a home where their children could come and stay whenever they wanted, and where their dog could run around in a safe environment.
The building is placed on the north side of the site to create a south-facing yard. On the first floor, the living room and kitchen are located so that the whole family can gather, and a void space was created to connect the first floor to the family room on the second floor. The north and south sides of the first floor were planned to be open with unobstructed windows so that the backyard, living room, deck, and front yard could be connected into one space.
The second floor is for the children. The rooms for the son and the daughter are separated around a central family room and the void space, with interior windows in each room that allow them to see from room to room and from room to the living room. Each room also has a terrace to connect to the yard.
The third floor is dedicated to the married couple. With the master bedroom in the center, there are two private rooms for couples at each end of the bedroom. Each of the couple’s private spaces has its own terrace, just like the second floor, which connects to the yard on the first floor and the terrace on the second floor. The master bedroom has a protruding window instead of a terrace to overlook the yard.
