Location: 1487-10 SeoCho-Dong, SeoCho-Koo, Seoul, Korea
Lead Architect: Kim Jae-kwan
Construction: Kim Jae-kwan
Written Material: Kim Jae-kwan
Project Area: 237.69 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Park Young-chae



One of the main reasons Julia’s house could remain unchanged was it couldn’t belong to any type of housing that newly appeared and it was situated on a small plot in the outskirts of commercial and residential areas. Moreover, the owner said she couldn’t afford to purchase an apartment unit in the neighborhood by selling the house. She could neither buy an apartment nor build a commercial building, nor build a multi-household home. The narrow alley near the house was enlarged and turned into a road where cars run all day, and the house behind Julia’s home was transformed into a parking lot which exposed it to the cold in winter. In addition, the house in front of hers was changed to a 5-story multi-family housing unit blocking sunlight all day long. Despite such poor housing conditions, the neighborhood has beautiful landscapes surrounded by Mt. Umyeon and Seoul Arts Center. Moreover, she has tremendous assets in her good relationship with next-door neighbors, Stephano, Moses, and John.

The 4m wide street in front her house
Is an imprudent street that has no pedestrian path,
Is a disturbing street that looks directly into her inner courtyard,
Is an irritating street that demands endurance without a solution,
Is an ambiguous street that makes her confused over whether to wear shorts or not in the summer,
Is a frustrating street that makes her embarrassed over whether to gather up curtains or not,
Is a nasty street that deprived her of the freedom to enjoy delicious meals with her family.

If she has to live in a house which gets no sunlight without the street,
If she has to live in a house which allows no entrance without the street,
If she has to live in a house which allows no free travel to neighbors without the street,
If she has to live in a house which blocks views except the street,
If she decides to live in this house again,
How should I consider the street 4m in width in front of her house?
Is it a street or alley, or a road? Or, is it a moat in the urban city?
-First day I visited the house, excerpt from my diary

收藏了，谢谢分享。