Have you heard about Jeju Island? It is one of the nine provinces of South Korea that contains a natural World Heritage Site called Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. As you can see, there’s nothing conventional about this site… and this special circumstance lead to an unusual architectonic solution for a Resort house: Jeju Ball.
This project – also known as Block D, designed by Kengo Kuma – is part of a resort called Art Villas featuring houses by world-renowned architects. Local sourced volcanic rocks were used for the exterior of this enigmatic building, as a reference to volcanoes and lava cones spread across the island. A closer look can be deceiving because of the organic quality that covers the entire roof and facade of Jeju Ball…as if there was no difference between nature and architecture.
The program is distributed in a total floor area of 210sqm and respects the following order: entrance area appears to be sculpted in this mineral composition as well as several terraces that function as extensions of interior spaces.
A central spatial axis is composed by a sequence of social areas: kitchen, dining and living are positioned at the center of the composition, where a water pond and a large terrace dominate the relation between interior and exterior areas. A tearoom and a master bedroom with bathroom are located on one side of the central axis while a second master bedroom and a guest bedroom – each one with its own bathroom – are positioned on the opposite side.
The ultimate connection of the Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes context stands clear and visible in the materials composing Jeju Ball. A neat lattice of timber creates the arching profiles of the rooftops. Volcanic rubble is cleverly spread over the entire facade and roof, stretching down to the ground and receding to make way for rectangular skylights… huge windows provide a sense of transparency that culminates in a remarkable example of how to merge architecture with a natural World Heritage Site.
Architects: Kengo Kuma Architects
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