Club house “Agora” | Mario Botta Architetti

Project: 2006
Construction: 2008
Client: Bokwang JeJu Co., Ltd
Partner architect /
construction management: Samoo Architects, Seoul, South Korea
Area: 1’000 m²
Volume: 7’000 m³
Jeju Island is considered the Korean jewel for its extraordinary location and its climatic conditions. The project stands in the context of a new residential urbanization and rises out of the reasoned choice of the site in order to merge in a balanced way with the winding natural landscape and gain a privileged relationship with the sea. The underground building follows the ground as to let men enter the bowels of the earth to find a refuge from which they can admire the sea and the sky. The big pyramid-shaped glass prism links the indoor and outdoor facilities that follow each other on a single level. Built for the social activities of the community linked to the new settlement, it becomes a place of meditation and nature lookout. The big stainless steel sphere by the artist Ahn Jong Yuen highlights the choice of a definite insertion in the territory.