Blooming House Unfolds Like Origami

Unfolding like an origami flower, this house located near the Bukhansun National Park in Seoul, South Korea was designed to incorporate multiple outdoor spaces while taking advantage of every square inch of the available space. The polyhedral structure is built to the very borders of the lot, the facade angled for maximum privacy while maintaining views and lots of room for greenery.


The clients wanted a park-like space that would make it feel as if they were living in nature. IROJE KHM architects mimic the shapes of the nearby mountains and blur the boundaries between indoors and out with a range of private and communal spaces, including a triangular entrance with stairs set in lush green grass.



A variety of geometric shapes rise from the various planes of the exterior, including skylights and a glass canopy shaped like an abstract tree. A diamond-shaped concrete table serves as the focal point of the rooftop terrace, while a reflecting pool sparkles in the lower-level courtyard.
The windows are carefully positioned to shield the occupants from the view of neighbors, while maintaining vistas of the mountains. The dynamic interior created by the home’s unusual shape includes light-filled lounge spaces adjacent to the courtyards and a second living room on the uppermost floor.

“We added the topographic architecture on the existing topography of site which is steep sloped to harmonize with natural condition of site. We designed nature–scape architecture ‘architectural hill,’ to harmonize with context of surrounding mountain and to satisfy the owner’s requirement ‘living in nature’. To maximize the area of green garden, all the exterior spaces of this house are covered with green plants. There are various leveled garden, forecourt garden, inner court garden, stair garden, water fall garden, roof garden and all the vertical gardens are circulated each other continuously. Consequently, we buried all the inside spaces of this house in the green nature.”