Saekdong House: 1968 Seoul Residence Renovation

Tucked behind a narrow alley in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, a single-story residence originally built in 1968 has undergone a comprehensive renovation and extension led by architects Isak Chung and Jinpyo Hong. The landlocked plot, tightly surrounded by neighboring buildings, originally featured elevated floor and ceiling levels designed to pull in natural light despite its enclosed setting.

Rather than erasing these architectural peculiarities, the architects incorporated them into the new spatial sequence. The entrance passage serves as a gradual transition from urban bustle to private domestic life, while an inherited air-lair air-raid shelter from an era of tensions with North Korea was successfully integrated into the layout rather than discarded.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

At the core of the redesign, the former living room was completely removed to form an open courtyard, allowing daylight and fresh air to penetrate the previously dark plan. The building footprint recovered from this subtraction was then transferred to a newly built annex in the southern yard, which previously suffered from a lack of sunlight due to surrounding structures.

The existing structural elements were reinforced using timber framing, linked internally by low-ceilinged corridors. Externally, a jade-green FRP eave protects circulation paths from rain, and the heavy original roof was swapped for a lighter gable structure. Below ground, the floor of the old bomb shelter was lowered to provide usable headroom, connected to the courtyard via a sunken passage.

The project draws its name from saekdong, a traditional Korean textile technique where multicolored fabric strips are joined together. Chung and Hong applied this principle to architecture, allowing contrasting elements—such as old and new materials, timber and FRP, and enclosed versus open spaces—to remain distinct while forming a cohesive whole.

Source: designboom