Sohsul Hotel by archigroup ma and 1990 uao architects

1990 uao summarizes the whole history of architecture as "standing on the ground with your both feet, leaning your back against the wall and keeping your body under ceiling". Floor, wall and ceiling are independant elements, but they are closely linked to each other.

Detail.

It is a common sense that detailing takes its place at the later phase of process, and this is especially true for an architectural design. However, on the other hand, I think it is possible for detail to be the beginning of the process. The more so, if the process is for interior design. Although Mies van dero Rohe said "God is in the details" to emphasize <precision> and Rem Koolhaas stated "no money, no detail, just pure concept" to put <concept> of the plan before anything, the detail was what connected the beginning and the end of this project. The detail is not limited to properly joining and finishing the materials. It motivates the design, brings harmony to neighboring materials, and sometimes the detail itself grant certain characteristic to the whole space. Every material has its own unique characteristics and it can be revealed through the detail. Properly displayed detail distinguishes itself from the other materials, and that uniqueness became the main material for the design for this project.

Floor, Wall and Ceiling.

Floor, wall and ceiling of the room are such common elements for architecture just like ground, column and roof. Hence, an old history of architecture can be defined as standing on the ground with your both feet, leaning your back against the wall and keeping your body under ceiling. However, these elements, which seem to be all segregated, are treated slightly different in this project.

The material that were usually used on floor is now applied on wall or closet (a, b, c, f, h), some part of the wall is connected to ceiling (corridor), and floor and ceiling is reflecting each other like a mirror (e, l, lobby). Exterior wall material that were usually seen from a balcony is not forming a wall inside the room (k) and even surrounding the entire interior space (g). The top of the fathomless wall, which is tall and lengthy, is bent and folded, hence, forming front desk and half arch on top (lobby) and the mosaic pattern that is decorating the floor and ceiling of the 1st floor lobby covers the entire floor, wall, and slanted ceiling once it gets to the penthouse house on the top floor(I).

Material and matter.

Material lays in-between matter and the result of the work using that material. In other word, matter turns into material and material turned into building. However, there is another factor that material must have in order for it to be an architecture not merely building. That factor is called attribute. Attribute is like a prerequisite for the matter to be that matter, and a special process is required in order to put attribute into material. It's the respect (or attitude towards) for material. In this project, fidelity and betrayal toward that respect coexist. Real is mixed with fake, thing-in-itself and phenomenon coexist, and characteristic and accident intersect each other.

Mirror.

"There is no sound in the mirror and me inside the mirror is unable to shake my hand as he is left handed, however, me from the mirror, who is opposite of me, is actually somewhat similar to me." (Yi Sang) Oftentimes, floor and ceiling share similarity in many ways. They both have similar size and shape. However, man always walk on the floor and stay under the ceiling and it is uncertain whether it's good or bad. They are different, yet similar to each other, and they look alike, but certainly not the same. But now, they are made to be perfectly identical to each other (lobby, e). Floor becomes a ceiling and ceiling becomes a mirror of a floor producing an illusion of looking down on a ceiling while walking on the floor. So the interior lightings are projecting both floor and ceiling at the same time.

Furniture.

There are many furniture that are occupying the room, such as bedside table, closet, table, shelf, sink and tub, but not all of them are brought from the outside of the room. Part of the wall pops out and changes its form to a headboard and certain part of that headboard turns into a small table (a, b, c, d, e, i, j, k).

Text.- 1990uao.

CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-

Architect.- 1990 uao and archigroup ma.
Architect In Charge : archigroup ma
Interiors : 1990 uao (Geunju Yoon, Junghwan Hwang)
Collaborators -  MTO, Sun Namgoong (photographer), Tiles(Italy), Made wallpaper and Eco-friendly paints (ceiling finishing), Wood, marble, Tiles(Italy), Made wallpaper and Eco-friendly paints (wall finishing), Wood flooring, Marble and Tiles(Italy) (floor finishing).
Location.- 53, Banpo-daero 14-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, S.Korea.
Program.- Boutique Hotel.
Hotel Features.- 52 Rooms(12 Types), Lobby, Restaurant, Multipurpose Room.
Gross floor area.- 3,771.03sqm.
Buildings Scope.- B2, 13F.
Client & Construction.- Youngwoo Seo (Bit Sal Co.).