VEGA is a single-family house in Daejeon that uses enclosure and inward-oriented outdoor spaces to negotiate privacy, nature, and long-term adaptability within a residential neighborhood undergoing gradual densification.
VEGA Technical Information
- Architects: Archirie
- Location: Daejeon City, South Korea
- Gross Area: 244.22 m2 | 2,629 Sq. Ft.
- Project Years: 2021 – 2023
- Photographs: © monsang
The house was conceived as a sequence of protected interior landscapes where daily life and seasonal change could coexist without being exposed to the surrounding streets.
– Archirie
Project Context and Site Strategy
The house occupies a corner plot in a quiet residential area of Daejeon, bordered by roads on three sides and facing a golf course and vacant land to the south. This exposure produces a condition of visual openness combined with limited privacy, especially within a neighborhood expected to fill in with additional houses over time. Rather than responding to the street through transparency, the design adopts enclosure as its primary strategy.
Perimeter walls define the site as a contained domestic territory, allowing the plot’s interior to operate independently of its surroundings. This approach anticipates future densification while maintaining consistent spatial conditions for the residents. Views toward the landscape are reframed inward, producing a sense of retreat that remains sensitive to nearby natural elements rather than adjacent buildings.
Perimeter Walls as Spatial and Environmental Devices
The walls function as more than boundary markers. They organize a sequence of gardens, courtyards, and terraces that wrap around the habitable spaces. Living areas are consistently positioned adjacent to an outdoor room, establishing layered relationships between interior, open air, and enclosure.
Changes in wall height, thickness, and openings allow controlled access to sunlight, rain, and seasonal shifts. Light filters into enclosed gardens from above and between volumes, creating moderated atmospheres that avoid direct exposure while remaining perceptually open. These thresholds soften the division between inside and outside, replacing conventional façades with inhabitable edges.
Interior-Exterior Continuity and Daily Living
The ground floor is structured around multiple courtyards that both separate and connect domestic programs. A small garden between the living room and kitchen establishes a subtle spatial division while allowing light and weather to enter the heart of the house. Bathrooms and guest rooms also align with outdoor spaces, extending comfort and privacy through proximity to planting and open air.
Circulation is treated as a spatial experience rather than a neutral connector. Paths between rooms are narrow and shaded, with planting arranged to recall walking through a wooded landscape. On the upper floor, each bedroom opens directly onto a private terrace, where glazing and planting combine to provide daylight and ventilation without sacrificing seclusion. These extensions of living space reinforce daily awareness of time, weather, and seasonal change.
Adaptability and Domestic Evolution
The upper level features lightweight, adjustable drywall partitions between rooms rather than fixed concrete walls. This choice enables future reconfiguration as children grow or household needs shift, allowing spaces to expand, contract, or change function with minimal intervention.
A small shared hall between the children’s rooms operates as an informal zone distinct from bedrooms and primary living spaces. Its ambiguous character supports multiple uses, from quiet retreat to casual family interaction. Throughout the house, planting is distributed across floors and courtyards, ensuring that seasonal variation remains an active presence within daily life rather than a distant backdrop.
About Archirie
Archirie is an architectural studio recognized for its residential work, which carefully balances privacy, adaptability, and a close relationship with nature. The studio’s approach emphasizes inward-oriented spatial strategies, flexible living environments, and the integration of courtyards and gardens as active components of daily life, allowing architecture to evolve alongside changing family needs and seasonal conditions.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Other contributors (Photography): monsang
