Gapyeong Valley House

Gapyeong, South Korea

A timber weekend house on a granite base above a river valley east of Seoul.

Three larch-lined timber wings on a granite base wrap a small courtyard on a terraced hillside, with deep eaves and a clay tile roof.

The courtyard from the south terrace.

Type

House

Status

Completed

Place

Gapyeong, South Korea

Year

2021–2024

Area

280 m² / 3,010 ft²

Client

Private

Team

Martin Vale, Keiko Sato, Hana Ishikawa

Images

AI-generated imagery

Brief

A couple from Seoul wanted a weekend house for their family of five, with a room for tea, space for guests and a garden they could look after on short visits.

Site

A terraced former orchard on a south-facing slope above the Bukhan River, with cold, dry winters and wet summers.

Approach

Three timber wings sit on a granite base and wrap a small courtyard, open to the south. Deep eaves keep the summer rain and sun off the glass and let the low winter sun in. Floors are heated through the stone in the old way. Inside, the walls and ceilings are lined in larch.

Outcome

Completed in 2024, with Dalbit Architects of Seoul as local architect of record.

Courtyard plan, 1:100

Gravel courtyard enclosed on three sides by low larch-clad timber wings with deep eaves.

The courtyard, open to the south.

Close view of a deep timber eave with larch rafters and a clay tile edge shading a recessed glass door above a stone base.

The eave over the courtyard doors.

Section through the courtyard and eaves, 1:50

The main room lined in pale larch on walls and ceiling, with a stone floor and low sun reaching in through glass doors from the courtyard.

A small larch-lined tea room with a low table and cushions on a stone floor, one wide low window framing the orchard terraces.

The courtyard at dusk, larch and lime-plaster wings with thin deep eaves on a granite base, warm light in the glass.

Next project

Seongsu Shoe Works

All projects