S.A.L.T house
This project is designed to reinterpret the meaning of the sentence, “A room (or an architectural space) is not a room without natural light” in 『Louis I. Kahn — Light and Space』. Namely, the light lights up a space and the internal mood is created by the intensity of light. Therefore, the light provides a meaning to the place.
Without the surrounding nature, the project will be meaningless as the architectural design is not the main reason for its being. Rather, it started from the consideration of a harmony or coexistence between building and nature.
The architect wanted to create the spatial sensibility by utilizing the beauty of nature as much as possible, and hoped that people could feel the changing time and environment through the light. This process would make this architectural space unique and people could experience the pleasure of space that would be destined to be reborn all the time.
This building was designed for the visitors of Maiim Vision Village. For instance, visitors can eat food and drink tea on the first floor. It is also connected to the nearby playground so that many people can use both the inside and outside of the building.
The second floor is for lecture and concert and it is designed in a way that performers (or lecturers) would not encounter with visitors. As it has many external spaces, however, they can feel the nature to the fullest. Also, the outer space of the building serves as a middle zone where the nature meets the structure.
As for the building materials, the architect started from the consideration of shadows of light. The light creates shadows, exists by them, and we can sense it through the difference.
With regard to the entire mass, the architect intended to maximize the effect of light and shadow with the louver to feel the changes of light, and it would also allow us to connect the surrounding nature visually at the same time. That is the flexibility of louver as a medium connecting the building to the nature.
Zinc roofs painted manually one by one were applied for slightly different looks, rather than monolithic, and to create a harmony with the nature when they were combined together.
Project: S.A.L.T house / Location: Yongeun-ri, neungseo-myeon, Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea / Architect: S.E.E.D haus / Architect in charge: Sanghun Baek / Design team: Eunjeong Baek, Seonghyeon An, Hyeonu Jo, Jiseon Lee, Huijeong Kim / Lighting engineer: MAVERICKS / Constructor: Fair Design Construction / Use: Visitor Center / Site area: 94,483.5m² /
Bldg. Area: 1,273.80m² / Gross floor area: 2,225.28m² / Bldg. Scale: three stories above ground / Structure: reinforced concrete structure, steel structure / Exterior finishing: exposed concrete, aluminium louver, Colored STS sheet / Interior finishing: exposed concrete, stone / Design: 2018.12~2019.9 / Construction: 2020.2~2021.4 / Photograph: ⓒKyung Roh (courtesy of the architect)