Micro Housing K

Micro housing K is a tiny housing which built on small site(74㎡). After applying of building to land ratio, there was left only 30㎡ for buildable area. Architect must put essential programs contendingly on limited area and the process was started from the first encounter with the site of project.

A small site was besides elementary school and there was old stationery store. The store was 50 years old building, addition, it was extended thoughtlessly and illegally. Architect had to recall some design methods that can not demolish old memory of alumni of the school and village people. Alike any old low rise downtown area in Seoul, his project site had complex relations with adjacent sites and it was a cause of difficulty of removal for old store. And it had a slight slope on its long edge, so architect had to have a method of application for slope inclined site.

There were various architectural attempts overcoming limitation of floor area. First, using properties of inclined site, architect designed a basement floor with sunken garden. Total floor area ratio do not include area of basement, and its two whole exterior walls face with the outside air because the site was inclined. Second, architect designed ground floors as multi stage module for procuring effectiveness of usability. Specially in rental units, architect designed wide toilet and shower room, big kitchen area and two attics on the other side. Those were some spatial solutions of lifestyle for young age lessee of this tiny housing. Nevertheless these advantages, the method of multi stage module made this building high and it caused a bad proportion of its external design. Architect tried to overcome it with exterior design and selection of material. Main external material (long concrete block) was stacked widthways for emphasize of horizontal effect. Addition, metal canopy on rooftop was designed darkly for restraining vertical scope of its volume.

Those solutions of external design were also an attempt of incorporation our new building design with old scenary of client’s town. The openings of surface of building were minimized and simplified. External material and color of painting were had a property of calm and cool for socializing with old buildings. The design was based on architect’s conviction that tiny housing has to melt naturally into existing city scape. Because tiny housing equate to trace which be made on crevice of dense city space.