Raonjae | KDDH

“Raon” means “happy” in Korean. The site is located in a small village Chungwon. The town is between ridges of a mountain and a main attraction is the distinctive change of seasons with the leaves changing colors each season. In order to contain all the scenery surrounding the site, this house (Raonjae) is projected in four directions. Even though this house faces in four directions, it doesn’t have an excessive number of windows. This reflects the owner’s idea of privacy that there should be a hidden place to stay alone. At the porch along a white outer wall, there are white walls and stairs crossing the walls. There is a quiet room for the mother’s frequent guests after passing the porch. Facing the stairs, there is a deep kitchen on the left side, a bright living room on the right side, and a long deck is planned, which is a special feature of the house. Going up the stairs from the living room, there are two rooms for two sons and a small rooftop, and going up further, there is a bedroom and a bathroom for the married couple, and another rooftop. In order to satisfy the needs of the three generations in a single house, the space for one generation was clearly on the half-floor and the spaces do not interruptive each other, but are connected and have ambiguous relationships. “Raonjae” is done in simple colors. The walls are painted in achromatic colors, the grounds contain trees which create a calm atmosphere, the house has a quiet exterior, and it doesn’t block the scenery of the slow countryside town. The house is complete in that enough light and silent spaces coexist. The scenery of the site encompasses the ridges of the mountain and four seasons that show the changes of blue and gold colors in the fields. The shape of the mass protruds in four directions to capture all the scenery because there are wonderful views surrounding the mass. However, “Raonjae” doesn’t have an excessive number or size of the windows open to the landscape on purpose. This is because the house owner thinks that a good house should also provide a dark spot in which family members can cry. It is a house where there is a space of appropriate light and silence, which excludes a formative effect and technical decoration. The outer wall of “Raonjae” is finished in a white color on grey concrete. We designed the white colored exterior because we felt that white color represented a plain country town. The achromatic color, white, whispers that the house is ready to follow the slow life of the small town and not disturb the surroundings. By designing spaces for three generations in a house, we tried to move away from the horizontal and hierarchical spatial divisions which were old fashioned and create a home in a modern and rational manner. In doing so, three clearly different spaces are designed on the two floors and they do not interrupt each other. Individual spaces for each generation are designed with a skip floor structure so that these rooms provide spatial hierarchy as well as spatial enjoyment. With the owner’s motto, “There should be a dark place in the house so that family members can cry,” “Raonjae” reflects a tranquil and placid structure.
At the porch along a white outer wall, there are white walls and stairs crossing the walls. There is a quiet room for the mother’s frequent guests after passing the porch. Facing the stairs, there is a deep kitchen on the left side, a bright living room on the right side, and a long deck is planned, which is a special feature of the house. Going up the stairs from the living room, there are two rooms for two sons and a small rooftop, and going up further, there is a bedroom and a bathroom for the married couple, and another rooftop. In order to satisfy the needs of the three generations in a single house, the space for one generation was clearly on the half-floor and the spaces do not interruptive each other, but are connected and have ambiguous relationships. “Raonjae” is done in simple colors. The walls are painted in achromatic colors, the grounds contain trees which create a calm atmosphere, the house has a quiet exterior, and it doesn’t block the scenery of the slow countryside town. The house is complete in that enough light and silent spaces coexist.