Korean architectural firm Studio Gaon has completed the House of San Jo. Completed in 2011, this 530 square foot, 1- story contemporary home is located in Gwangju, South Korea. According to the architect: “The main purposes for this house are firstly for painting, secondly for watching the walking mountains on the west, thirdly for the artist to watch with contentment his wife, son, daughter, and grandson, fourthly for looking at the handsome apricot tree that has been protecting this land for years, and last of all for beholding the surroundings of the huge rock next to the land where the house sits. Except for painting, which is active, every reason is passive. The act of ‘seeing’ is the main program of the house. Thus, the mass of the house has a simple plan, comprising of a studio-cum-living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen that bridges the two spaces and connects to the outside deck. To summarize, this project was nothing but sitting a small house on a hillside where rocks are scattered. The client, who has overcome childhood hardships and become a successful artist, thinks the bond between family members and friends is the most important. That may be why the rocks standing in the middle of Mudeung-san, a land that makes people happy just by looking at it, look like grown-up children. The house is standing just like them, anchorined on the hard ground, like a rock that has always been there.“
