{"id":118948,"date":"2018-08-06T14:14:44","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T14:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/the-system-lab-brings-billowing-concrete-forms-to-a-volcanic-island-resort-in-south-korea\/"},"modified":"2022-11-14T13:15:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T18:15:33","slug":"the-system-lab-brings-billowing-concrete-forms-to-a-volcanic-island-resort-in-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/the-system-lab-brings-billowing-concrete-forms-to-a-volcanic-island-resort-in-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"The System Lab Brings Billowing Concrete Forms to a Volcanic Island Resort in South Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commissioned to create a high-end resort on the unspoiled volcanic island of Ulleungdo, a three-hour ferry ride from the South Korean mainland, architect Chanjoong Kim imagined \u201can observatory where people come to appreciate the spirit of the sky and the earth\u201d and harness its potent and rejuvenating chi<\/em>, or energy. The resort, appropriately named Healing Stay Kosmos<\/a>, is sited dramatically at the top of a cliff that plunges 100 feet into the East Sea. Behind it looms a vertiginous rocky outcrop, Songgotbong, or Ice Pick Peak, for its resemblance to the climbing implement. \u201cFrom its shape, it\u2019s clear what strong energy this mountain holds,\u201d explains Kim, founder and principal of the System Lab<\/a>. \u201cIn fact, it was said that during the period of Japanese colonial rule, the government planted three heavy iron stakes on Songgotbong to reduce its power and prevent the birth of Korean heroes.\u201d<\/p>\n

> Project Resources<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

With few manmade structures in the immediate vicinity, Kim\u2019s plan was to let the setting do the talking and not erect anything that would obstruct its natural beauty. Although the resort\u2019s two buildings\u2014brilliant white, undulating forms of ultra-thin concrete that flow seamlessly into one another\u2014are hardly understated, they look at home in the rugged, almost lunar landscape, thanks to their organic curves and slightly otherworldly character. The billowing shapes act like a canvas on which a light show, created by the sun and moon, clouds and waves, plays continuously.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The resort is sited above the East Sea, in the shadow of Songgotbong, or Ice Pick Peak. Photography by Yongkwan Kim.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The main building, Villa Kosmos, which is rented as a whole, housing four suites, communal living and dining areas, a whirlpool, and a terrace, sits furthest out on the promontory. The two-story structure comprises a circular courtyard surrounded by six vaulted wings arranged in a nautilus shell-like spiral; their arched end walls, glazed from floor to ceiling, provide panoramic views of the sea, mountains, and nearby caldera basin. The second building, Villa Terre, faces Songgotbong and has eight guest rooms available individually and a restaurant. It maintains the resort\u2019s fluid, thin-walled vocabulary but lines up its five, barrel-vaulted sections in a staggered row like a space-age motel or, as Kim puts it, \u201ca scarf laid on the edge of the cliff.\u201d Both buildings total 18,000 square feet.<\/p>\n

Villa Kosmos\u2019s interiors are as striking, minimal, and esoteric as its exterior. The walls and ceilings are all-white and art-free. \u201cI think this neutrality allows people to focus more on the forms and properties of the spaces,\u201d says Kim, who was also responsible for the interiors and believes a little ambiguity is essential to pique curiosity. \u201cWhen things are too clear, people tend to react less, even feel indifferent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cedar also lines the Finnish-style sauna in Villa Kosmos. Photography by Yongkwan Kim.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The name and character of each Villa Kosmos suite reflects the Taoist tradition of associating the planets with specific elements\u2014in this case, Mars with fire, Mercury with water, Jupiter with wood, and Venus with metal. \u201cWe aimed to capture the spirit of those four elements,\u201d Kim says of the guest rooms, which all feature 20-foot-high arched ceilings. Names were assigned\u2014and appropriate materials and furnishings specified\u2014based on a room\u2019s orientation. Thus, the suite with the best view of the fiery sunrise is called Mars; its palette favors warm kiln-produced colors and textures: A ceramic chair by art potter Hun Chung Lee sits on the multihued terracotta-tile floor near a rich-brown leather-upholstered wardrobe and matching luggage rack, both of which are replicated in different colors for the other rooms.<\/p>\n

Mercury, the suite with the best sea view, boasts such water-evocative pieces as Cini Boeri\u2019s curved-glass Ghost chair set off by limpid inky-blue marble flooring. Jupiter, which overlooks the tree-clad landscape, privileges wood in the form of oak floor planks and a Grete Jalk plywood lounge chair, while Venus, with a view of ore-bearing rocks, reflects its metallic theme in a bold Emilio Nanni stainless-steel chair and the titanium-colored expanse of its polished-granite floor.<\/p>\n

\"\"
In the dining area of the main building, Villa Kosmos, a custom table by Jeongsup Lee sits on resin flooring embellished with polished-granite \u201ccrazy paving.\u201d Photography by Yongkwan Kim.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The villa\u2019s common areas are just as pared down in a similar bid to invite the outdoors in. The living area\u2019s subdued palette\u2014brown, black, and gray tables, armchairs, and sofas on white resin flooring\u2014allows views of Elephant Rock, a unique outcrop that resembles some ancient pachyderm rising from the sea, to take center stage.<\/p>\n

The enigmatic and ever-present profile of Songgotbong is referenced in the dining area\u2019s vaulted ceiling, while the powerfully figured grain of the 10-person oak table celebrates the rawness of the natural world outside. Here, and in the living and bar areas, patches of glossy granite \u201ccrazy paving,\u201d a seemingly haphazard pattern of slabs, are laid over the white resin floor to evoke the lava flows once spewed by the island\u2019s now extinct volcano. \u201cWe emphasized the relationship of the building with the site at every turn,\u201d Kim says, succinctly summing up Healing Stay Kosmos\u2019s design philosophy.<\/p>\n

> Project Resources<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Project Team: <\/strong>Choonglyeol Lee; Jongkil Kim: The System Lab<\/a>. JWL<\/a>: Landscaping Consultant. Eonsld Corporation<\/a>: Lighting Consultant. Designallim; Minimalist; Studio DD<\/a>: Custom Graphics. Kujo Co: Structural Engineer. HANA Consulting Engineers Co<\/a>: MEP. Seojoon E&C: Civil Engineer. Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology<\/a>: Concrete Engineer. Kidea Partners<\/a>: Custom Furnishings Workshop. Rhea Steel; Steellife Co.<\/a>: Metalwork. Supia Construction Co.: Woodwork. Kolon Global Corporation<\/a>: General Contractor.<\/p>\n

> See more from the July 2018 issue of Interior Design<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The resort, appropriately named Healing Stay Kosmos, is sited dramatically at the top of a cliff that plunges 100 feet into the East Sea. Behind it looms a vertiginous rocky outcrop, Songgotbong, or Ice Pick Peak, for its resemblance to the climbing implement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3525,"featured_media":149497,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"featured_image_focal_point":[],"legacy_django_id":15187},"tags":[],"id_tax_domain":[12],"id_tax_product":[],"id_tax_program":[],"id_issue":[],"internal_flag":[4220],"class_list":["post-118948","id_project","type-id_project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","id_tax_domain-hospitality"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe System Lab Brings Billowing Concrete Forms to a Volcanic Island Resort in South Korea - Interior Design<\/title>\n <!-- Mirrored from interiordesign.net/wp-json/wp/v2/id_project/118948 by HTTrack Website Copier/3.x [XR&CO'2014], Fri, 18 Apr 2025 21:36:07 GMT --> <!-- Added by HTTrack --><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /><!-- /Added by HTTrack --> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The resort, appropriately named Healing Stay Kosmos, is sited dramatically at the top of a cliff that plunges 100 feet into the East Sea. 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