Forest Archetype House

What left the strongest impression on me while walking through the forest was not the shape of each individual tree, but the spatial density, depth, and shifting lines of sight created by the repeated vertical presence of countless trunks. At a certain moment, I felt that the trees should not be treated as decorative motifs or literal natural forms. Instead, the spatial order generated by their verticality, rhythm, and layering should be translated into architecture.From that observation, I began to develop large trunk-like structural elements that respond to the trees standing along the adjacent cliff. These elements were arranged in four layered rows, creating a spatial framework that allows the logic of the forest to continue into the interior. In addition, what I call the “forest of furniture” forms the backbone of the house, adding another layer of density and inhabitable structure.The design process was therefore not about imitating nature, but about abstracting the forest’s essential qualities: density, overlap, light, depth, and void. These qualities were transformed into an architectural order in which the family can live as if moving through the spaces between trees. Forest Archetype House seeks a condition in which nature and architecture resonate with one another—neither merely merging nor opposing, but standing independently while forming a continuous spatial experience.

In Forest Archetype House, biophilic design was not understood as the act of incorporating natural colors, materials, or forms into a residence. Rather, it was an attempt to translate the spatial logic of the forest itself into an architectural order. While many conventional references to nature tend to remain at the level of visual elements such as wood grain, greenery, or curved forms, this house reconstructs the repetition of trunks, density, depth, fluctuation of light, and overlapping lines of sight experienced within the forest as relationships between structure, furniture, circulation, and places to dwell.The trunk-like structural elements arranged in four layers are not merely symbolic. They serve as an architectural framework that divides space, controls views, and gently embraces the daily life of the family. Furthermore, by layering what I call the “forest of furniture” within this framework, the house becomes not a closed box, but an environment that generates a multilayered spatial experience, as if one were walking through a forest.The coexistence aimed for in this residence is not about aesthetically borrowing from the surrounding nature. It is about receiving the logic of the forest while creating an autonomous architectural order, allowing nature and human life to resonate with one another without either overwhelming the other. The essence of this project lies in treating nature not as an object to be viewed, but as a principle that forms the very structure of living.

In Forest Archetype House, creating a forest-like space through large vertical elements within a wooden structure was an important theme both architecturally and structurally. At the same time, the more strongly this verticality was emphasized, the clearer the structural challenge became: how to resist lateral forces during earthquakes. The reinforcement using aramid fiber sheets was not merely a technical treatment for this issue, but an essential element in making the architectural design language possible.Through this reinforcement, it became possible to retain the mass, warmth, and physical presence of wood while incorporating the necessary structural performance within the building itself. As a result, the structural elements do not close the space as walls, but stand like tree trunks, gently dividing the interior while allowing light and lines of sight to pass through. In this sense, the structural constraint did not limit the design. Rather, it became a catalyst for strengthening the layered spatial composition of the house.In considering earthquake-resistant wooden architecture in residential design, I believe that this kind of hybrid material strategy expands the possibilities of timber construction. By combining the traditional texture and bodily quality of wood with advanced reinforcement technology, wooden architecture can achieve a freer and more delicate spatial expression. What is important is not to conceal technology, but to allow it to support the architectural concept and spatial experience at a deeper level.