Korean dandelion Farm | Archihood WXY

The building is hidden by the silver-grass forest. The whistle of the wind from the sliver-grass leads the way. At the end of a leafy and curved pathway, you can meet a heavy wooden door. The black bamboo welcomes you through the spaced wooden fence, and natural sunlight filtering through the louver, enveloping the dark entry space. Walking through this entry space, you can see the peaceful front courtyard, covered with Korean fine soil.  Experience of dark and light: this is what triggers your emotional experiences in this space. When you enter the front courtyard, you can see the forest valley through the wide open Farm café. The sense of nature from the valley stays in the farm a while, and passes through the wooden fence.

This is the place for processing Korean dandelion, primarily used for medicinal purposes. Many guests visiting this place are weary in both body and mind because of their long struggle against illness. So we wanted to provide a place where it can re-energize their listless and depressed state, and can help remind memories by evoking their senses. This will help achieving some opportunities to look back on their lives and create positive energy through motivation from nature.

Another important consideration of this project is its sensitivity to its placement and orientation in relation to the site’s topography. We do not want to disconnect the flow of nature from the forest  valley behind the site due to our new building. Therefore the center space of this building is lifted up, so that the air of nature can come into the front courtyard. A 2.1meter wide wooden canopy and deck are installed both at the front and rear of the Farm café and it ensures that guests are provided with a gathering space which is enveloped by the surroundings.  

The folding doors allow for a full opening of the spaces to the outside deck area, offering a more engaging natural experience.   It is the same as ’twat-ma-ru‘ and  ‘deul-a-yeol-gae-chang‘  at Sa-rang-bang, which are Korean traditional architecture elements. This space was designed to provide a peaceful, wondrous and natural setting where people can rest and relax.

The wooden fence around the building is installed with a 3cm gap between each piece. These gaps allow the nature to come in and out, blurring the boundaries of the building.

The nature itself makes this space change in every moment.

The sunlight shining through the water’s glittering on the water garden.

The shadow of wooden fence shows the time and seasons.

The sound of water drops falling through the water garden on a rainy day.

The little tremulous leaves of the wind.

The pleasant memory is recognized and embedded in people’s experience and the memory will make people to come back to this place. Memory of senses is the fundamental essence for people to remember the place. With use of the ‘sense of nature’, it becomes a healing environment where people can enjoy this place.