At the boundary between architecture and landscape
A vast gable floats with a massive presence. It seems to slowly sweep and glance over the fields and sea, crossing earth and stone walls. Between the lowered eaves, light and wind of Jeju flow freely. The sea of Seogwipo, the sunset sky, and the changing seasons of the wide fields seep in and unfold like a panorama. This is a delicate boundary where land meets architecture, a gap where the landscape flows into the building.
At Trimmen in Seogwipo, Jeju, the essence lies in invisibility—closing off with a heavy gable roof without revealing the order or function inside. By withholding elements that might hint at the spatial composition, it instead prompts attachment and exploration, leading the visitor to imagine and interpret the interior.
On the first floor are a small bedroom, a kitchen hidden by folding doors, and a bathroom. Ribbon-shaped windows, aligned horizontally with the ground, open in all directions at seated eye level. Landscaping is built up to the base of the windows, creating the illusion of the yard flowing into the interior. This loosens the physical boundary between inside and out, making all main spaces seem to float above the ground. A compact core of kitchen, bathroom, and stair hall concentrates functions while forming the structural heart.
Climbing the narrow spiral stair inside a cylindrical shaft to the second-floor bedroom, the distant sea suddenly fills the view. Beneath the broad eaves, a balcony holds a built-in heated pool, beyond which the horizon stretches. It is a scene that imprints the experience of the space vividly.
The composition is simple: a massive gable roof set atop a concrete base. The gable, built with a steel frame, minimizes cladding thickness and weight, enhancing a sense of buoyancy despite its size. Multiple rounds of wind-pressure analysis and structural simulation ensure resilience against Jeju’s strong winds and typhoons. The roof edge conceals a drain system, integrating the flow of rainwater into the architectural façade.
Low eaves nearly touch the ground, aligning with basalt stone walls to form a long horizontal frame. The frame is fixed, yet the scenery flowing into it moves and changes. This overlap of static structure and dynamic view creates a subtle new sensation between architecture and landscape.
Here, architecture of the boundary is revealed. Elements like walls, doors, windows, and roofs are reconfigured as layers for transition rather than separation. Inside and outside are not sharply divided; light and views pass freely between building and nature. It is flow rather than space, movement rather than fixity. On this boundary, architecture communes with nature and speaks with the landscape, weaving together multiple sensations.
Project: Trimmen / Location: 3320-18 Mureung-ri, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju-do, Republic of Korea / Architect: LSBA / Contractor: MK Construction And Interior / Use: Residence (Stay) / Site area: 501.00m² / Bldg. area: 97.48m² / Gross floor area: 99.69m² / Bldg. coverage ratio: 19.76% / Gross floor ratio: 19.89% / Bldg. scale: two stories above ground / Height: 8.3m / Structure: RC, Steel Structure / Exterior finishing: natural slate, AL ZINC, Stucco / Interior finishing: water-based paint / Design: 2021.5~2022.11 / Completion: 2022 / Photograph: Courtesy of the architect
