Sista House Housing by Junghee Lee is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Competition Category.
BronzeArchitecture· 2021
Sista House Housing
by Junghee Lee
Client: 2m2 Architects
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Architecture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #118510The Design
About Sista House Housing
Sinsu-dong is a dangerous residential area with many old houses in Seoul. 2m2 architects wanted to build a rental house here for women. 2m2 architects were usually concerned with and felt a critical mind with housings for women. Sista House, aiming for a comfortable and sensuous living environment for young women in their 20s and 30s, has given each space its own character to differentiate itself from existing multiple housings within its limited area.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Sista House Housing is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Sista House Housing is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Sista House Housing splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Interviews
Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to creating a safe haven for young women through Sista House Housing's fortress-like exterior contrasted with comfortable interiors is remarkable - could you elaborate on how this architectural duality emerged from your initial vision?
When creating spaces, I sometimes work with the concept of extending the exterior seamlessly into the interior. However, in this case, I wanted to separate the idea of a cozy home environment from the harsh surroundings one encounters before returning home at the end of the day.
The stone burner floor finishing and exposed concrete in Sista House Housing's common areas create a striking material authenticity - what inspired your decision to reveal raw materials rather than pursue conventional decorative finishes?
Rather than using artificially refined finishes, I wanted to retain the raw texture of materials in the common areas, up until one opens their front door and enters their personal space. This is because it is a shared space, not a private one used solely by individuals.
How did your experience as an architect influence your solution to the unique challenges of building Sista House Housing in Seoul's dangerous Sinsu-dong area, particularly regarding the transformation of a challenging 131-square-meter site into a secure living space?
Seoul is the city where I was born and raised. I have lived in various neighborhoods and walked through its alleys since childhood. I believe I naturally designed a building that meets the needs of this place.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Sinsu-dong is a dangerous residential area with many old houses in Seoul. A young couple in their 30s wanted to build a rental house here for women. They were usually concerned with and felt a critical mind with housings for women.
Sista House, aiming for a comfortable and sensuous living environment for young women in their 20s and 30s, has given each space its own character to differentiate itself from existing multiple housings within its limited area. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Building area 67sqm
Gross floor area 206sqm
Building scope 5F
Height: 15.60m - Tags
- brick, sista House, housing, a rental house for women, seoul
- Production Technology
- Sista House, aiming for a comfortable and sensuous living environment for young women in their 20s and 30s, has given each space its own character to differentiate itself from existing multiple housings within its limited area and budget. The common staircase was designed with rough exposed concrete walls and stone burner floor finishing, avoiding embellishment as much as possible and revealing the texture of the material itself.
- Design Challenge
- They finally got a land contract and banded together with young architects to solve the problem. The former landlord was a builder who decided to resell the land even though it had a good location with universities which is not far from subway stations. Since the width of the road bordering on the site was less than 4M, the area of 139sqm on the paper actually became 131sqm as 8sqm belonged to the road. In the end, the builder decided that it was not profitable and gave up on the land.
- Research
- The common staircase was designed with rough exposed concrete walls and stone burner floor finishing, avoiding embellishment as much as possible and revealing the texture of the material itself. The staircase facing the road is a common space inside the building, but on the contrary it is a private space outside the building. By adding a layer through masonry work to the curtain wall of the staircase, it is advantageous for light and ventilation while blocking anothers eyes from outside.
- Inspiration
- The first impression of the building's exterior looks like a red brick castle. The interior is comfortable and cozy, but on the contrary, the exterior gives a strong impression, making it a safe space.
The flat composition of households consist of a household compositions with unique characteristics such as one-room house, two-room house, house with an outside yard and house with a high ceiling, reflecting tastes of various female residents. - Project Duration
- The project started in January 2019 and finished in February 2020 in Seoul, South korea.
- Operation Flow
- The first impression of the building's exterior looks like a red brick castle. The interior is comfortable and cozy, but on the contrary, the exterior gives a strong impression, making it a safe space. The flat composition of households consist of a household compositions with unique characteristics such as one-room house, two-room house, house with an outside yard and house with a high ceiling, reflecting tastes of various female residents.
- Image Credits
- Image #No1,2,3,4,5 : Photographer: Kyungsub Shin
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