Introducing Curves with OBBA Architects and The Vault House

This home from Hadong-gun in South Korea is a modern interpretation of the traditional farmhouse. The house was designed by architecture firm, OBBA.

The house features a barrel roof, commonly seen in many agricultural buildings, but the curves don’t stop with the roof – the perimeter walls are all curved too.

The project, titled The Vault House, is set on a parcel of land measuring 1,022-square-feet (95-square-meters). The house itself measures 883-square-feet (82-square-meters) and was completed in 2017 with the help of lead architects Sojung Lee, and Sangjoon Kwak.

The architects state that they wanted the house to be a counter to the boring, lifeless apartment buildings that modern cities seem to be comprised of: “The faces of our city have lost their characters… The moment where a street meets a building is cut off by a faceless wall.”

With The Vault House they’ve attempted to introduce character back into a building. They’ve done this through the use of materials (like brick) and form (curved surfaces). The house was built commissioned by three brothers who wanted a new home for their elderly mother.

From the architects: “Our biggest concern about this project was defining the relationship between private space and the rest in a countryside… a fence wall is generally installed… In this case, however, we incorporated the fence wall as a part of the building in order to create several types of intermediate/transitory space between private and public space.

The interior features a living room with openings to the North and South that soak up countryside views. Three bedrooms, including the master bedroom, can be found to the east corner of the home. The opposite corner is dedicated to the kitchen and utility area.

For more small houses check out Pinwhell House, a tube house from Ho Chi Minh City. Or, this old garage conversion by Fooman Architects in Australia. See all small houses.

Photos © Kyungsub Shin, Jaekyung Kim