More stories

  • in

    Design by 83 completes “simple and contemporary” Buddhist meditation centre in Busan

    Architecture office Design by 83 combined traditional references with modern forms and finishes when designing this Buddhist temple and education space in the South Korean city of Busan.

    The Bohyun Buddhist Meditation Centre was created as an urban outpost of the Bohyunseonwon temple in the mountains of South Gyeongsang Province, which was hard to reach for many devotees.
    Design by 83 has designed the Bohyun Buddhist Meditation CentreDesign by 83 was tasked with creating a facility containing a religious shrine along with spaces for teaching about Buddhism and living quarters for two Bhikkhuni monks.
    The studio looked to borrow from the history of Korean architecture while introducing a contemporary design language that feels appropriate to the urban setting.
    Clean-lined forms and pared-back materials introduce a modern design languageThe building features clean-lined forms punctuated by carefully positioned windows alongside a pared-back material palette that nods to traditional temple architecture.

    “The exterior retains the classic image of a temple constructed in traditional East Asian wooden architecture but modernises it by employing metal materials that mimic the colour of wood for the windows and doors,” the architects pointed out.
    “It is finished with monolithic tiles and granite, achieving a simple and contemporary look without elaborate decorations.”
    Detachable paper lanterns are incorporated across the building’s ceilingsThe basement level contains a dining hall used by monks and devotees. Its simple decor pairs traditional wooden window frames with modern grey tiles.
    Visitors entering from the street immediately encounter a wall with a circular opening that frames a view through to a Buddha statue in a matching circular alcove.
    The main hall features an altar dedicated to BuddhaA reception desk is positioned to the right of the entrance and the main space is used as the education area.
    A wall clad with vertical timber panelling conceals the doors to service spaces including a store room and WCs.

    Yussef Agbo-Ola creates jute and hemp temple for Sharjah Architecture Triennial

    The main hall on the first floor was designed in collaboration with a master carpenter who specialises in building traditional Korean hanok houses.
    The space features an altar dedicated to Buddha, along with matching furniture and an intricate mural known as a taenghwa.
    A dining hall in the building’s basement level features simple decorThe hall’s ceiling incorporates recesses filled with coloured paper lanterns that devotees can hang names from or use to make wishes.
    “The prayer lanterns are designed to be regularly spaced and easily detachable, reflecting the concept of creating new from the old,” Design by 83 said.
    The monks’ living quarters are intentionally pared-backA set of traditional Korean sliding doors lining one side of the room conceal a small kitchen area that can be used for preparing light refreshments.
    A simple brick-lined staircase leads up to the living quarters on the second floor, which are intentionally minimalist to ensure a comfortable and calming environment for the two monks residing there.
    Other Buddhist temples that have recently been featured on Dezen include one set in a valley next to the ruins of the Great Wall of China and a stepped concrete design in Tokyo.
    The photography is courtesy of Design by 83.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Niceworkshop applies artificial wood grain texture to Seoul cafe interior

    South Korean studio Niceworkshop has designed a pared-back interior for a cafe in Seoul, where concrete walls and stainless-steel furnishings are finished to mimic wood.

    Set in the city’s multicultural Itaewon district, HaHouse Cafe operates alongside an exhibition space on the floor above, designed by Niceworkshop founder Hyunseog Oh in 2022.
    Niceworkshop has given Seoul’s HaHouse Cafe a pared-back makeoverThe initial demolition phase revealed a pair of concrete walls that informed the spatial arrangement of both the gallery and the cafe, as well as influencing the raw material palette applied across both interiors.
    Oh used concrete, metal and wood to reference the project’s urban setting, adding natural textures to the manmade materials to create a sense of visual cohesion.
    The studio etched a wood grain pattern onto stainless-steel furnishings”The wood inside HaHouse Cafe serves as the basis for the texture that expresses nature,” the designer explained. “It bridges the modern urban environment with nature, symbolising their coexistence.”

    The interior applies the same principles as Oh’s Neo-Naturalism furniture series, which features a wood grain pattern etched onto geometric stainless-steel seats and tables.
    Hand-sanded doors with opaque framing lead to a storage area and restroomThe use of concrete for the walls and ceiling was informed by the two existing walls that delineate the space. Concrete applied to the surfaces was stamped with wood to create a natural texture.
    The serving counter and utility spaces along one wall are clad in aluminium with a subtly reflective satin finish.

    Teki Design creates Kyoto cafe as hub to “learn about the future of coffee”

    A pair of doors leading to a storage area and restroom feature reflective surfaces that Oh sanded by hand to create an opaque frame around the edges.
    “Through the opaque reflective surface, I wanted to show both the artificial nature inside the space and the real nature outside the window,” he told Dezeen.
    Individual NN stools combine to create a larger bench with a concave seatMuch of the furniture used in the cafe was created especially to complement the interior’s pared-back material palette.
    Expanding on the Neo-Naturalism furniture series from 2023, the chairs and lights were engraved using a Dremel tool to create a wood grain pattern.
    The tactile Neo-Naturalism tables are made from solid ash and red oakThe NN tables are made from solid ash and red oak, bringing warmth and tactility to the otherwise austere space. The legs and tops are joined at the corners using simple nuts and bolts.
    Other furniture items include the NN stools, which are informed by standard-sawn timber logs. Four of the 20-by-20 centimetre sections are combined to create a stool with a concave seat.
    Niceworkshop also created a series of custom lights for the cafeAccording to Oh, the main objective with the HaHouse project was to create a cultural space that appeals to a variety of people and provides them with a new spatial experience.
    Previous experimental projects from Niceworkshop include a furniture collection made using skyscraper formwork salvaged from construction sites that was presented at this year’s Milan design week.
    Oh founded his studio in 2021 after completing a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture at Soongsil University. He works alongside Sangmyeong Yoo, who manages the office’s business affairs.
    The photography is courtesy of HaHouse Cafe.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Traditional Korean pavilions inform open-sided Aesop store in Seoul

    Skincare brand Aesop has collaborated with designer Samuso Hyojadong to create a store in Seochon, Seoul, that features an open facade and an oversized stone plinth.

    Positioned in one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Seoul’s Jongno-gu district, the Seochon outlet was created to “fit harmoniously within its local context”, according to Aesop’s design team.
    Aesop designed the Seochon store with Samuso HyojadongWhen designing the store, Aesop and Hyojadong took cues from the architecture of jeongjas – traditional Korean pavilions with no walls, which serve as spaces for resting and taking in the surrounding views.
    The street-facing facade was created with mesh metal screens that can open out entirely to create a storefront with no walls. Once closed, the woven metal backing creates translucent windows through which passersby observe the softly lit silhouettes of uniform rows of bottles.
    Reclaimed timber features on the interior”Samuso extended the floorplate outwards to create a threshold that conveys a generous sense of hospitality,” the Aesop design team told Dezeen.

    “One [jeongja] in particular that inspired us was the Soswaewon in the Damyang region, which was built in the sixteenth century and is surrounded by a verdant garden.”
    An oversized stone plinth displays Aesop productsFor the store’s material palette, the designers referenced the timber and stone that are typically used to build traditional Korean houses known as hanoks.
    A large, rough-edged stone plinth displaying clusters of products was positioned at the entrance while various wooden accents were created with timber reclaimed from salvage yards and an abandoned house.
    Copper was used to create geometric cabinetsThe store was also built on a raised stone platform, which nods to the traditional architecture.
    Hanji paper created from mulberry tree bark sourced from South Korea’s Gyeongnam province features on the store’s walls, which frame central geometric cabinetry and sleek taps made of locally produced aged copper.

    Aesop store in south Seoul is a cosy red-brick retreat

    The designers were restrained in their use of sanding, sealants and coatings when treating the materials, opting to embrace their “natural imperfections”.
    “Sensitivity to texture in this store is superlative,” reflected the design team. “Samuso wanted each material to express itself directly, without too much human intervention,” it continued, referencing the roughness of the stone and the reclaimed timber’s undulating texture.
    The metal was also used to design sleek tapsRosewood was used to create the store’s signature fragrance armoire, which is hidden from view until opened out and was conceived as a traditional Korean jewellery box, according to the design team.
    “Throughout the store, we were compelled by a desire to dissolve the boundaries between inside and outside, between the naturally occurring and the human-made,” concluded the designers.
    The store’s signature fragrance armoire was informed by Korean jewellery boxesKnown for stores that pay homage to their varied locations, Aesop has an outlet in Cambridge defined by handwoven bulrush shelves that nod to the nearby River Cam and a Sydney store furnished with domestic items to evoke 1960s Australian homes.
    The photography is courtesy of Aesop.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Sukchulmok adds curved brick forms to rooftop of Parconido Bakery Cafe

    Curved forms and arched openings feature in this cafe, which Seoul studio Sukchulmok has added to an existing building in South Korea’s Gyeonggi-do province.

    Named Parconido Bakery Cafe, the cafe is made from red bricks and features playful curved shapes and rounded walls designed to create an illusion-like effect.
    Parconido Bakery Cafe was designed by Sukchulmok”The space, created through one rule, was designed to give a sense of expansion and the experience of an optical illusion image,” lead architect Park Hyunhee told Dezeen.
    Arranged across three floors including a rooftop level, the cafe was designed by architecture studio Sukchulmok to resemble European public squares in reference to the client’s time spent in Italy.
    The studio topped the roof with curving brick volumes”The client who spent his youth living in Italy is a clothing businessman, opening the cafe as a business expansion to provide people with a space for peaceful rest,” said Park.

    “These two aspects naturally reminded me of the image of the European square, where people are huddled together talking on a sunny day between red brick buildings and stone pillars.”
    The design drew references from nostalgic memories of ItalyOn the rooftop level and terrace, the outdoor dining spaces are punctuated by clay brick columns with arched connections and walls with U-shaped openings.
    Built around steel frames that extend into curved forms above the brick walls, the curved elements are coated in bricks cut to two-thirds of their original thickness to lighten their weight.
    The walls and floors have curved edgesA long stainless steel table with a curved underside, along with circular stools and planting, is shaded by a removable canopy made from green, orange and white fabrics.
    Curved walls lined with white tiles join with the tiled floor and ceiling to create rooms with rounded forms on the interior levels of the cafe.
    The rooms are covered in small tiles of travertine limestone, selected for its use in the fountains of European squares.

    Nameless Architecture creates “artificial valley” at base of Gyeryongsan Mountain

    Kitchens are built into recesses in the curved walls, while wooden elements, including wall panels and pipes that line a portion of the ceiling, add a feeling of warmth to the interior.
    Throughout the spaces, uniquely designed seating areas and bespoke circular furnishings provide spaces for dining.
    The interior was covered in different textural materialsComprising twelve different designs, the cafe’s set of furniture was designed to exhibit a variety of shapes, textures, and materials, including leftover finishing materials, wood, overlapping pipes, and concrete castings.
    “Although they have slightly different shapes and textures, the pieces of furniture are all in harmony with the space and show good synergy with space as an object,” said Park.
    The cafe’s curved edges all have a radius of 600 millimetresTo maintain a sense of uniformity, the studio based the design of each element, including the walls, columns and furniture, around a circle with a constant radius of 600 millimetres.
    “A radius of 600 millimetres was used as an act of connecting spaces that were not monotonous,” said Park. “It was simply based on the idea that the distance from the height of the door and window to the ceiling finish is 600 millimetres.”
    Furniture was specially designed for the interiorOther South Korean cafes recently featured on Dezeen include a bakery with a curved courtyard designed to act as an “artificial valley” and a Seoul cafe with a vertical farm.
    The photography is by Hong Seokgyu.

    Read more: More

  • in

    WGNB completes colourless interior for golf supply store PXG

    South Korean spatial design studio WGNB has completed a flagship shop for golf brand PXG in Seoul, featuring an achromatic material palette and a graphite-covered wall that leaves smudges on visitors’ clothing.

    The store is located in Seoul’s Gangnam district and was designed by WGNB to reference the graphite used to produce PXG’s golf clubs.
    WGNB has designed PXG’s Seoul flagship store”Rather than merely applying the material to every plane, we studied the characteristics of graphite itself,” the studio told Dezeen.
    “It is lighter than it appears and is an allotrope of carbon, like diamond. The graphite embeds calmness and humbleness. And, most importantly, it smudges.”
    A graphite-covered wall greets visitors near the entranceWGNB interpreted these characteristics in the pared-back forms and materials chosen for the shop’s internal surfaces and display furniture.

    At the entrances, visitors are greeted by a sculpturally engineered graphite block and a wall covered with graphite squiggles that will transfer onto hands and clothing on contact.
    Volumes of slatted steel are suspended from the ceilingA series of orthogonal volumes are suspended from the ceiling throughout the store to define various areas within the open-plan space and incorporate suspended rails for hanging apparel.
    Made using powder-coated steel slats, the volumes help to create a sense of lightness and buoyancy within the interior that is further enhanced by the cantilevered display unit at the centre of the store.
    An abstract animation that ties in with the shop’s visual language is displayed on the store’s prominent media wall instead of commercial images.

    WGNB designs all-black flagship store for fashion brand Juun.J

    The project brief called for a black interior in keeping with PXG’s visual identity. Instead of creating a monochromatic black-and-white interior, WGNB developed an achromatic design using shades of black and grey.
    “While monochromatic materials are limited to similar tones and hues, an achromatic scheme dismisses colour altogether, leaving materiality only,” the studio said.
    “We used various achromatic materials with unique textures and materiality, believing that these would emphasise the idea of shedding light on the essence of the material.”
    An abstract graphic is displayed on the central media screenThe limited material palette includes a micro-cement finish that was applied to walls and floors. These textured surfaces are complemented by engineered wood flooring, which is also used on some of the walls.
    The staircase leading up the mezzanine is finished in marble and cold-rolled steel while upstairs, a grey carpet and upholstered furniture introduce softness to the space.
    Grey carpet and upholstered furniture bring softness to the mezzaninePXG approached WGNB to design its flagship store after seeing some of the studio’s previous projects, including the all-black shop it created for fashion brand Juun.J in Seoul.
    The spatial design studio was established in 2015 and named emerging interior design studio of the year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards, with the judges commending its “interesting and different approach to retail design”.
    The photography is by Yongjoon Choi.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Sik Mul Sung is a Mars-themed cafe with its own vertical farm

    South Korean studio Unseenbird has designed a cafe in downtown Seoul, where vegetables are grown in a glass-fronted cultivation room before being harvested, prepared and served to customers on a conveyor belt.

    Sik Mul Sung cafe was set up by agri-tech start-up N.Thing, which also runs a vertical farm on the outskirts of Seoul, to make the company’s technology tangible and accessible to everyday consumers.
    Unseenbird wrapped Seoul’s Sik Mul Sung restaurant in stainless steelLocal practice Unseenbird was tasked with designing the cafe’s interior and wrapped large portions of its walls, counters and fixtures in sheets of stainless steel.
    This is contrasted with decorative red rocks and a floor made of matching pebbles, in a reference to N.Thing’s ambition to build a vertical farm on Mars.
    The cafe’s space-age theme is also reflected in its futuristic green perspex surfaces, which are played off against textured plaster walls.

    Food is delivered to diners via a conveyor beltSik Mul Sung’s focal point is a brightly lit, glass-fronted cultivation room where rows of vegetables grow in a vertical farming system designed by N.Thing, which can function without sunlight or soil.
    When customers place an order, the vegetables are harvested and used as ingredients for salads and ice cream.
    Vegetables are grown on-siteFood is delivered to diners via a conveyor belt that circulates the cultivation room and runs along the curved bar.
    The food itself is presented on circular plates that rotate to recall a planet in orbit.

    Jeonghwa Seo creates cast aluminium and brass furniture for Seoul cafe and wine bar Et Cetera

    “Customers can feel the values and dreams of the company together by experiencing cultivation, harvesting, processing and consumption here,” said Unseenbird.
    “Not only was the characteristic applied functionally to the space but the brand identity was well realised with the finishing materials and tones.”
    The vertical farm does not need soil or sunlight to functionSik Mul Sung has been shortlisted in the small interiors category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
    Other projects in the running include a serene timber and travertine reading room in Shanghai and a coffee shop in Shenyang, China, where stacked bottle-green beer crates form the furnishings.
    The photography is by Yongjoon Choi. 

    Read more: More

  • in

    Schemata Architects creates sports store with fixtures made from discarded marine debris

    Display fixtures made from jerry cans and blocks of polystyrene salvaged from the ocean feature in this concept store for a outdoor brand on Jeju island by Schemata Architects.

    Created for Kolon Sport, an outdoor brand with sustainability at its core, the concept store is located in a commercial building on the island of Jeju. Jeju is South Korea’s largest island and is renowned for its beach resorts and volcanic landscape.
    The Kolon Sport store was designed by Schemata ArchitectsKolon Sport is known for upcycling clothing from its own inventory that would otherwise be thrown away.
    Schemata Architects wanted the interior of its Jeju concept store to align with the brand’s upcycling ethos and looked at ways in which it could incorporate recycled elements.
    It used waste collected from the sea to create display units”We focused on the fact that 20,000 tons of marine debris is incinerated annually on the island of Jeju without any way to reuse it, leading to the destruction of the rich natural environment, and conducted an experiment to produce clothing brand fixtures out of marine debris,” said the studio.

    Stacked into puzzle-like arrangements, the discarded marine debris includes jerry cans and blocks of white polystyrene. Debris was also used to make hangers, shelves, and tables for the store.
    Polystyrene and jerry cans were stacked and piledFor the interior itself, the architects wanted to make minimal interventions. The store’s walls are a patchwork of peeling paint, exposed concrete, bricks and breeze blocks, while lighting is provided by simple strips of tube lights.
    On the outside of the building, signage was limited to a simple logo and the uniform white storefront blends into the neighbouring buildings.

    Schemata Architects completes South Korean hotel where all furniture is for sale

    “This is an approach to urban development that we call ‘invisible development’,” said the architects. “At first glance, nothing seems to have changed from the outside, but once you get closer and enter the building, you can see how interesting it is. And it makes you wonder if there will be similar changes in the other building beyond.”
    The Kolon Sport space is a continuation of the studio’s wider Arario Project – a community development project on Jeju that has seen the architects renovate several buildings – including a multipurpose store, restaurant, gallery and hotel – as part of the rejuvenation of the island’s Tap-dong district.
    It is located on Jeju island in South Korea”The Kolon Sport project was not limited to the renovation of a single commercial space as an upcycled brand, but aimed to break down the space’s own territory and spread the value of that brand in stages in the town,” explained the architects.
    “The project was planned to protect the nature of Jeju island, to implement initiatives to expand environmental sustainability, and to become a hub of sustainability for the town.”
    Walls of the store feature expose brick and concreteThis project has been shortlisted in the large retail interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 alongisde a second hand book and clothing store in Shanghai that features display fixtures inspired by grocery stores and a reconfigurable sales showroom in Japan.
    Photography is by Ju Yeon Lee.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Nameless Architecture creates “artificial valley” at base of Gyeryongsan Mountain

    Architecture studio Nameless Architecture has completed the Café Teri bakery in Daejeon, South Korea, in a pair of buildings that flow into a central courtyard.

    Located at the foot of the Gyeryongsan Mountain in Daejeon, Nameless Architecture designed the two buildings to frame the entrance to a hiking trail that continues up the mountain.
    The cafe’s courtyard leads onto a hiking trailThe two rectangular buildings were angled, creating an outdoor space that narrows towards the mountain path. The three-storey building contains a cafe and the two-storey building opposite is a bakery.
    “The artificial valley, where the distinction between the wall and the floor is blurred, creates a flow towards the forest and becomes the yard to the cafe and a path for walkers,” Nameless Architecture co-principal Unchung Na told Dezeen.
    “We intended the building to become a path and courtyard that guides the flow of nature and visitors rather than blocking the promenade.”

    Concrete brick walls slope down into the floor of the courtyard at Café TeriThe 900-square-metre project was finished in concrete bricks, creating a rough texture on the exterior walls.
    “The concrete bricks used to construct the architectural topography emphasise the continuity of the flowing space,” said Na.
    “On the other hand, the facade wall made of rough broken bricks creates a difference of boundaries through the change of light, shadow, and time.”
    Nameless Architecture used concrete brick for the interior of the cafe as well as the exteriorThe flowing exterior walls of the project are replicated inside the ground floor of a cafe, where the back wall of a double-height space curves down into stepped seating.
    The floor, curved wall and stepped seating inside the cafe were finished in concrete bricks, and the remaining walls were finished in polished concrete.

    Stacked felt sheets create seating inside South Korean cafe

    “The fluid wall is continuous not only in the yard but also in the interior space, connecting the inside and outside scenery through a stepped space,” Na explained.
    A backyard area features uplifted terrain that mimics the curved concrete brick walls of the cafe and bakery, which Nameless Architecture designed to provide a spatially interesting place for people to enjoy food outside.
    Nameless Architecture used curved walls to create a distinct “architectural topography”The architecture practice designed the curved elements that appear to emerge from the ground with the aim of blurring the lines between what is wall and floor.
    “The basic elements of architecture can be reinterpreted to induce various experiences and actions of people,” said Na.
    “In particular, the two elements, wall and floor, are defined as fundamentally different architectural elements, but we tried to reconsider this strict relationship.”
    The project aims to reinterpret how walls and floors are used as architectural elements”The mutual relationship in which the wall becomes the floor, and the inside becomes the outside can be interpreted in various ways through the experience of the place,” Na continued.
    Other projects recently completed in South Korea include a department store in Seoul with an indoor waterfall and skyscrapers with red-painted steel columns designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
    The photography is by Kyung Roh.
    Project credits:
    Architect: Nameless ArchitecturePrincipals-in-charge: Unchung Na and Sorae YooProject team: Taekgyu Kang, Changsoo Lee and Jungho Lee

    Read more: More