Hwaseong is a city near Seoul. Hwaseoung is a pronoun, but shares the same sound as Mars in Korean, thus the name “Mars” for the project. The Building – designed by Hoon Moon architects – is located in the middle of a new urban development within Hwaseong city. This part is relatively new and vacant, almost barren, with a stretch of imagination, evoking some kind of foreign landscape in the planet of Mars.
The Client desired a multi-purpose building which contains his house, two houses for rental usage and commercial space also for rent. His demand was focused on coming up with a design that does not show any kind elements of conventional housing.
The mobile Habitat (Mars Station) with caterpillar became the initial design concept. Each floor is independent and has unique geometry evoking movement and imaginary context. They are stacked and conjoined like 3d puzzles, especially angled floor slabs which also behave as rooves provide illusory experience of different gravity.
The 1st floor is rectangular and open, providing flexibility for commercial users. The 2nd floor contains Two houses. One has three bedrooms, while the other is one bedroom apartment. The 3bedroom house provides much flexibility and transparency through sliding doors. The 3rd floor for the client is where, there is most freedom in the design and organization of rooms. The house was looked at as a small and symbolic universe where spaceships and planets are mingled haphazardly, evoking some kind of strange universe.
The 2nd, and 3rd floor slab, which are also the roof of 1st floor and 2nd floor respectively are not flat but angled and folded, which is very uncommon in general architecture. It strives to provide two things, firstly dynamic spatial experience beyond the rectangular box, in spite of being in the vertically stacked space, secondly providing illusory spatial experience, where folded floors, provide false sensation of gravity. The Sphere space on the 3rd floor mimics mini Pantheons or Boulle’s Spheres, which provide extra ordinary spatial experiences, within the context of a house.
For further information, please visit www.moonhoon.com.
ARCHITECT Moon Hoon
PROJECT Mars
LOCATION Hwaseong, South Korea
YEAR 2020
CLIENT Na hong jun
CONSTRUCTION CNC CONSTRUCTION
PHOTO Kim Changmook
