Designed by the architect`s office TUNEplanning, the multi-storey lounge bar in Seoul, Korea, was completed in 2013. Dayang Sanghoi was planned as an exhibition hall at first, but later it was created as a private lounge through several changes of plan.

The generous expanse offers space for a stage on a mezzanine and can be used for client’s leisure and party with acquaintances. The architects had to build the house a ground up high with embarkment because of the high and slope topography and the surrounded mountain Bukhansan. Nature announces its presence everywhere in the house. The ceiling shows plywood rings which are reiterated by the winding lines of the oak.

The space was designed to put nature at the forefront of visitors’ experience, a natural rock wall provides the backdrop for a seated bar and a pine tree descends from the upper mezzanine into the heart of the lounge. Paired with the polished concrete floors and lightly-stained wooden furniture, the organic material in Dayang Sanghoi offers a gentle, relaxing ambiance.

TUNEplanning have utilised the uneven topography of the Pyeongchang-dong region in Seoul, Korea, to build a space that magnifies the scale of its surrounding mountain, creating a safe haven from the city’s bustling atmosphere.

The building was planned as an exhibition hall at first, but was later created as a private lounge through several changes of plan including the office, company training centre, studio, restaurant and cafe. Appropriately dubbed Dayang Sanghoi (Dayang meaning Diversity in Korean), this venue was designed to comfortably hold a variety of diverse events.

Having seamlessly integrated a plethora of natural elements into the final building, Dayang Sanghoi features a giant natural rock, open plan flooring and heavy pine elements. Above all, the space was designed to put nature at the forefront of visitors’ experience.

A natural rock wall provides the backdrop for a seated bar and a pine tree descends from the upper mezzanine into the lounge. Even the furniture was placed haphazardly, as though formed by nature and without any intentional plan.

Project description Pyeongchang-dong at the northern end of Jongro-gu, Pyeongchang was warehouse of Seonhyecheong, a government office which had managed receipt and disbursement of rice, cloth and coin used as means of tax payment in Joseon Dynasty, under the name of Daidongmi, Daidongpo and Daidongjeon each.

As its name derived from Pyeongchang tells, this area had to build a ground up high with embarkment because of its high and slope topography as a village of power and wealth. At the end of the road, we can meet an interesting alley leading to a house of Pyeongchang-dong along the winding ridge of mountain Bukhansan edge which shows the views one by one.

Huge rockwall of this house 'The piano was drinking, not me' introduced on this magazine in Aug. 2009, is assimilating with nature while accumulating time with rain and wind as if it has been located there originally. Window and wall sloped obliquely stagger zigzag as they are drunk on nature like tipsy voice and lyrics of Tom Waits' song, 'The piano has been drinking, not me'. Whole space was embraced by metaphorical expression whether the wall is sloped or I am sloped. The designer created underground space of this house newly over the years.

Rocky mountain in the middle of Jongno-gu, heart of Seoul. Mountain is nothing but mountain in the distance. However, it becomes an object of faith when it spreads in front of people. The mountain Bukhansan formed by granites adapting to the times may be one of mountains which have such an energy.

Bukhansan is the highest mountain in the suburbs of Seoul, has magnificent geographical features, has been guardian mountain of Seoul from old times, and also was called Sambongsan and Samgaksan because it consists of three peaks. (Sam means three, bong means peak, and gak means angle in Korean) As it says 'celebrated temples are situated in celebrated mountain', Bukhansan houses considerable places sacred to Buddha here and there.

Dayang Sanghoi was planned as exhibition hall at first, but it is created as private lounge through several changes of plan to office, company training institute, studio, restaurant and cafe for some years. Dayang Sanghoi is a space for client's leisure and party with acquaintances. It also has a stage on mezzanine for performance. Literally, it is a space which can hold every events diversely and keeps the natural feeling as it is.

Therefore, it is named Dayang Sanghoi. (Dayang means diversity in Korean) It can be said that Dayang Shanghoi is an episode of previous project. While I expressed artificial concrete motivated by natural rook at the previous project, dense pine trees in the rocky mountain are the motif of this project. I wanted to show the natural raw materials such as stone and tree as they are.

Artificial nature is doubtedly an imitation. I admitted it is an imitation and wanted it to look like an imitation. Therefore, I aim at fundamental meeting of natural stuff and artificial stuff by showing the processed material property. I placed furnitures unintentionally just like the nature formed without any intentional plan.

Architects : TUNEplanning Location : Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea Area : 84.47 sqm Project Year : 2013 Photographs : Jeong Taeho

TUNEplanning