There’s something quite unique about planning and building a house from scratch. As a client, you get to tailor it to your own needs and ideas and as an architect or designer you get to draw inspiration for the site-specific elements and surroundings. When building the Floating House in 2009, Hyunjoon Yoo Architects followed a very specific set of requirements.
View in galleryThe house sits on the Northern part of the site to take advantage of the viewView in galleryAt the back there’s a large courtyard populated by a few sculptural treesView in galleryThe view is magnificent as the house overlooks the valley and river
The residence sits on the Northern part of the site and the South section is occupied by a guest house. The clients wanted the two structures to be as far away from each other as possible. As a result, the guest house was placed close to the fence at the edge of the site.
View in galleryIt sits in an area surrounded by greenery and open spaceView in galleryThe architects used a combination of modern and traditional design elementsView in galleryThe black concrete used for the structure is reminiscent of the tiles seen on traditional Korean houses
The clients had a few specific requests. For example, because they run a restaurant in the area, they wanted the house to be situated about 5 minutes away from it. After the site was selected, the clients requested a view of the river. At the same time, they consulted a Feng Shui specialist and decided that they didn’t want the main door to face East and to have anyone living in the South-East.
View in galleryThe view of the river is also magnificent from the rooftop terraceView in galleryThe design of the house is simple, with relatively small windows on the back facadeView in galleryIn order to make the most of the view, the architects elevated the house leaving the ground floor openView in galleryA tall and solid fence gives the house privacy from its neighbours
Other requests included a set of spaces such as a study room, a BBQ area, a guest house, a large yard and a low swimming pool. To honor all these desires, the architects carefully planned everything and chose to level the house and to raise it in order to capture the most beautiful views. At the same time, they designed it with a roof garden and terrace.
View in galleryThe clients requested a balcony that surrounds the house, making it seem biggerView in galleryThe ground level has large supporting columns and serves as a semi-covered social areaView in galleryThe balcony frames the first floor, expanding the interior space and giving the impression of more spaceView in galleryThe balcony serves as an extension of the interior space, bringing in lots of natural lightView in galleryAt the same time, it enhances the views of the river and surroundings
The South Han River can be viewed from all the rooms of the house, especially thanks to the one meter wide balcony which was built on all four sides of the building.
View in galleryA study room was also requested by the clients. It too has a view of the riverView in galleryThe balcony wraps around the whole house and links all the spacesView in galleryA circular layout was chosen for the social area to maximize the spaceView in galleryA large sectional runs along one of the corners forming a semicircle
The social areas including the kitchen, dressing room and a bathroom were placed all at the center of the house, gathered in a compact mass. Inn addition to these spaces, there’s also a bedroom towards the East. The living room is positioned to the West and a circular traffic line connects the spaces, making the floor plan appear bigger.
View in galleryThe staircase doesn’t stand out or take up too much spaceView in galleryThe private spaces are organized on the upper level, featuring expansive viewsView in galleryThe bathroom is spacious and too too has a beautiful viewView in galleryThe tub is sunken and positioned close to the window