Hillside Housing in Changsin
Typology
Social Housing
Location
Changsin, Seoul, South Korea
Date
Fall 2022
Philosophy
Reinterpretation and vertical expansion of alleyway network of the site
Designer
Jaeseo Choi
Studio
Professor
Studio IV - Korea University
Santiago Porras Alvarez
HILLSIDE HOUSING IN CHANGSIN is an urban housing project aiming to provide a variety of economical, sustainable, and enjoyable social housing with community spaces in the eastern valley side of Changsin-dong.
The project started with the group project “GAMNANGGOL (persimmon tree valley) urban design project” of the general site area. The group’s site is located on the eastern edge of Changsin with a beautiful hill and valley facing SE. It has extreme topography, intricate staircase and alleyway networks, but it lacks urban spaces, greens are infiltrating everywhere, water overflowing to the street, and amazing views. By overlapping points of Social Life, the Starts and Ends of alleys and stairs, Greens, Waters, urban nodes of the site became clear. Turning these urban node points into public and green spaces, Gamnanggol will become a much more enjoyable place.
Going deeper with the basic idea the group proposed, HILLSIDE HOUSING provides furthermore alleys and staircases connecting the whole site as a whole. New alleyways parallel to the hill slope are studied and placed. Spaces where these newly placed streets intersect with existing staircases are small urban gardens and waterfalls. Elevators are placed rather separated from the housing buildings and have openings on both sides, and they provide accessible ways up the hill, and into individual homes.
Living space design started with case studies of Narkomfin dom Communa, Barbican Complex and Spangen Quarter Housing. Narkomfin Dom Communa is one of the great examples of early soviet architecture, and also, housing buildings. It is very systematic, simple and minimal, but has many enjoyable qualities. Each unit, although small in footprint, provides multiple floors. This provides sunlight deep into the living spaces and naturally separates space usage. It uses a structural grid as a basic measure for dimensions. This multi-floor combination also allows for one hallway to serve several levels of living spaces. In the Narkomfin, these hallways become small social streets inside the building. Barbican complex also has this street in the building but on a larger scale. The complex network of elevated pedestrian podiums interconnects different buildings all around the Barbican Complex. Spangen Quarter Housing in Rotterdam shows the small spaces in front of individual houses provide natural and sociable, customizable spaces for living.
The tall buildings are mostly interconnected with platforms in between the buildings which becomes a street on its own. This street in the air connects a multitude of living spaces and rooftop gardens, public balconies, and vertical circulation elements. Staircases of the buildings are designed as independent elements from housing blocks, have a generous slope, and become enjoyable walkways/viewing points residents can enjoy.
The facades of individual units combine into the rhythmical face of the building full of life people living inside. Balconies and urban squares, green and water, staircase and streets in the sky all come together as one village. Many opportunities and situations for conversations will rise, restoring the communa, community-centric lifestyle in the centre of Seoul.
