U_RETREAT

U_RETREAT Hongcheon-gun Daegok-ri, which literally means “wide lake” and “high mound”, is a name that alludes to the long persisting conditions of the land. A vertical cliff at an altitude of 100m, known as the Sori-san mountain range, Sari-gol Valley, looks down on the site from as little a distance as 40m away. The scale of the cliff, pinned down with enormous stones, and the vitality of the unwittingly flourishing vegetation within it, overwhelms the surroundings. Jeongja architecture The Jeongja is a space which is unified with nature, liberating its users from the confines of the home. The program of the Jeongja is rest, play, and retreat with the nature. The cliff situated in front of this site has a variety of tress which creates an enormous screen representing seasonally altering moods. The dramatic leveling made by the cliff and trees inspires awe in us. This became the concept of ‘leveling’ that generates multi-leveled spaces, so that users may enjoy the surroundings at a variety of levels. Each multi-leveled unit conceives various retreat places, diverse leveled interior spaces, the skipped terraces, a private pool and spa and so on. A Continuous Spatial Experience Like the image of the cliff and an assembly of trees, URETREAT is also composed of unit organisms that have been transposed through architecture. The design of each unit was inspired by each of the moments that such a flowing motion is generated. Like the minimal space that each tree occupies where it touches upon the ground, each unit was ultimately restrained in its contact with the ground, to counter the conditions of the irregular ground level. This has allowed the architecture to be liberated from the irregular slope. Like this manner, architecture embraces the uncertainty of the nature.