STUDIO HEECH

Studio Heech has refurbished the old brick load bearing house in Seoul by inserting new glass block creating anew family living spaces.
The newly renovated 30 years old house becomes new homes for three families living together without sacrificing the advantages of private family life, the elderly parents who built this house 30 years ago and their grown-up children’s families.

Built in 1990, the load bearing brick house is located in a quiet mews in a residential area of Seocho-dong, Seoul. The space surrounded by glass blocks that penetrated between the ‘U’-shaped existing brick building provides a new living room for families. The existing low floor to ceiling height on the ground floor was improved by providing glass roof-light. The new glass blocks retains private family life from the mews outside as obtaining maximum natural light through the blocks at the same time.
The newly added glass block was inspired by Pierre Chareau's Maison De Verre in 1932. This translucent space gives a fresh impression around it, respecting the old brick exterior walls that remember the history and memories of the family. The colorful tiles used repeatedly in the interior space express the various family stories of three generations living together.