#architecture#SouthKorea#modernhouse Discover Samdal Oreum House, a residence by Formative Architects on Jeju Island, South Korea. Inspired by the island’s volcanic “oreums,” the design unfolds as two sculptural volumes embracing a central courtyard. Raw wood columns, curved steel beams and exposed concrete blend vernacular tradition with modern precision. The home invites you through a fluid sequence between the blocks, where views open and the boundary between inside and outside dissolves. Samdal Oreum House re-imagines living as landscape, memory and connection.
Architects: Formative Architects Location: Seogwipo-si, South Korea Manufacturers: Nano Brick, Rhinoceros, THE JOHN TECH, Trimble Navigation, Younhyun Trading, ZWCAD Structural Engineer: TEO Structure Area: 170 m² Year: 2019 Photographs: Youngsung Koh
Like two miniature volcanoes rising over the Jeju Island, the Samdal Oryum House
stands as a work that embraces not only the land, but also memory, landscape, and family.
The studio Formative Architects transforms the natural gesture of the island's oryums,
or Jeju's volcanic cones, into an architecture that shelters, connects, and reveals.
Located in the southeastern part of Jeju Island, South Korea, on a flat, elongated site near the
sea, though the ocean is hidden by trees, the project was designed to house both a mother's
residence and guest accommodations. The concept draws from the image of embracing arms,
inspired by the island's more than 300 oryums, each containing a warm core at its center.
To fulfill its dual function, home and guest lodging, while balancing privacy and togetherness,
the architects created two independent masses on the site, symbolizing atypical oryum cones.
At the heart of these volumes, an inner courtyard garden becomes the nucleus of
life and interaction, a personal retreat for residents and a playful space for visitors.
The composition follows the principle of a single-wing structure, volumes arranged in
one continuous plane to maximize connection with the outdoors, natural light, and ventilation.
The structure is hybrid. Exposed wooden columns give the interiors a warm tone,
while curved steel beams shape the roof, which could not be formed in wood.
Concrete walls act as a solid counterpoint to the lightness of the timber. The exposed
wooden columns and curved steel beams express a respect for local tradition and a search for a
distinctive architectural gesture. The central garden brings the outside in, blurring the
The roof recalls the traditional stone houses of Jeju, with visible timber framing beneath the
ceiling and generous openings extending to the eaves, framing the sky and surrounding landscape.
As one moves through the volumes, the spatial sequence becomes fluid.
Paths lead between the two masses, through the courtyard, where framed views open,
and the atmosphere quietly envelops the visitor. The desire to bring together the mother, family,
and guests is expressed through human scale, comfort, and constant dialogue with the landscape.
Though close to the sea, the view is veiled by trees,
prompting the house to turn inward, toward the courtyard and the distant horizon.
The orientation and placement of openings facing the inner patio reduce the impact of
the prevailing winds, while enhancing cross-ventilation. This hybrid system—wood,
steel, and concrete—reflects a deliberate effort to unite vernacular and contemporary qualities
in both form and function. The two volumes evoking aureums form a direct metaphor for
local geology, embracing the central void as an architectural gesture of home.
Samdal Aureum House shows that a house can be more than a shelter. It can be an embrace of
landscape, geology, and memory. When architecture breathes the spirit of a place, it becomes both
intimate and universal. This project reminds us that to inhabit well, we don't need to build walls,
only to design spaces that embrace.
