This work named ‘The Light Container’ is a remodeling project of a neighbor-livelihood facility, with a scale of five stories over ground and one underground. The residence of the owner who conducted the clothing business for a long time, was absorbed to the building, and the scale of it looks quite large compared to the total scale of the building, because of the pseudo wall outside the side of the building.
The existing building form was a typical residence building, opened frankly to the south with a small garden. The client wanted the remodeled building to be ‘not tedious even been used for a long time’, and also wanted the residential part to be not on the top part, but on the second floor. So the designer had to study how the residence could be independent and comfortable between the spaces for lease. For the first step, He made the one and only passage of stairs which connects the residence to the ground level, separating the circulation from leasing space. Plus, the pseudo wall placed at the exterior part helps to keep the privacy of the residence to some degree. On the other hand, this pseudo wall weaves the residential and business space into one, making the outside viewer difficult to notice that the 2nd floor is a residence.
It may seem that the inner lightings won’t be enough because the pseudo wall shades some windows, but it is planned possible to have lightings upon every comers, by the 3D-simulations and close examination of the lightings and sunshine duration. The designer, section chief Chung YoungHan says “I think the effects of the light to the building are great. I wanted to show that through this project. After design job was finished, I contacted with the CG designer of my acquaintance, and forecasted how the effect of the ray will be through simulations. Well, the result is that the light is delivered to every corners of the interior.”
Chung designed this wall to be a reflecting frame of the light, not a structural object, and possible to feel its quality of material as the time and season changes. Besides the abstract spatial concept of ‘holding the light is kept or maintained through the material of ‘exposed-concrete’ giving a rebirth to the material. Also, the variations of the light ray’s angle along the time flow approaches as a new experience felt inside the building. Through most of the parts were competed with exposed-concrete, some parts such as windows and exits were coated with corten, naturally producing the harmony of two different materials. It is more rough in the interior than exterior especially on the exposed part, and the feels nice when it gets a ray from a vertical direction.
The place which is worth notice in the residential space is the bridge part crossing from the living room to bed room, with glass blocks applied working as a light passage between the pseudo wall. This part streams in the exterior light and induces it down to the lobby at the ground.
Written by Son, Sukwon
월간 건축문화 02-07월호에 ‘라이트 컨테이너’가 소개 되었습니다.
