102 PROJECT SALON GUUIarchitectural elements on the basis of values
found in collective architecture that are
representative of the contemporary moment:
the entrance layout by floor, the architectural
elements of the exterior, the construction
method of the floor and walls as well as the
architectural details, the underground toilet,
and plumbing system are all preserved in the
style of ‘collective architecture’ that evokes
a particular era. On the other hand, part of
the wall and the slab have been demolished
in order to meet with the purposes and
functions of a more current programme.
Let’s take a closer look at the
aforementioned issues. First of all, the
bathroom used by two units in the semi-
basement allows us to imagine the living
conditions experienced in the 1970s and
1980s. Parasite, a film by Bong Joon-ho,
features a toilet located near the road that
is set so low that no one can stand inside
it. The toilet in the semi-basement in Salon
Guui shares similarities with this example. As
mentioned earlier, the bunker derived from
an earlier building code and faced renewed
demand on the housing market, initiating a
conversion on what it would be to transform
the bunker into houses, and creating the
need to install unplanned bathroom and
kitchen units. However, the septic tank was
installed underground near the road so that
the flow would flow uninterrupted into the
sewer pipe. Its position affected the location
and height of the underground toilet. In
addition, to secure a slope in the pipe,
these toilets had to be placed close to the
tank. If we consider these facts altogether,
the layout of the underground toilet is
understood in light of the social situation of
the time. The underground toilet, however,
has been removed since the basement
and the first floor can only accommodate
a single programme in this project. There
is a toilet on the first floor. As the soil that
supported the toilet is removed at the
base of the building, vertical access to the
first floor has been newly introduced whilepreserving the pipeline and vestiges of the
underground toilet.The Status of Interior Space and the
Modifications
This project reveals the covered finish
of the 30-year-old house and the story
behind these changes. When tearing
down the slab and finish on the first
floor, interesting traces of the expansion
of space and its construction began to
emerge. On the east wall of the first floor
layers of different materials remain intact,
from the bricks of the initial design to the
final finish inserted illegally to expand the
interior space. It seems that the bricks were
laid over the marble foundations without
considering the paricular characteristic
of materials – marble, mortar, and brick- when merging with the terrace (the
foundation), which would have been an
outdoor space. However, the layers of
brick of slightly different textures and the
marble layer between them hinted at the
years of difference between each phase
of construction. In addition, the opening
of the wall was found to have been filled,
becoming a wall for surrounding space and
internalised during the illegal expansion—
As such, the house displays unusual
construction methods and use of materials,
and the refurbishment allows new users
to experience the finish and construction
methods of each phase by maintaining them.
On the other wall facing the east wall of the
first floor, there is a mixture of decorative
molding made of lauan plywood and the
wallpaper. The style of bricks and mortar
are preserved to appear as if on display,
removing only the finish. In the space in
the northern section, which used to be a
kitchen area, a layout sketch in chalk lies
behind the finish, preserved as a trace of
the architect’s thinking from the 1980s. The
slab creating the water tank compartment
on the rooftop, which isn’t currently used,
has been cut open and lit up to devise the
entrance to the second floor; a double-story
space. The pipes connected to the tank
remain untouched, as part of the overall style
revealing the frontal system of the building
instituted at the time.
Attempts made to characterise the new
finish as a governing architectural element
appear on the first floor as well. The Terrazo- which normally used in public buildings
and apartments of the 1970s and the 1980s,
and made by grinding cement and rubber
between the 900mm brass case – has been
reinterpreted on a scale set by lines and
planar elements in Salon Guui. The first floor
grid, with 150mm brass cases filled with black
concrete and dark gray stones, presents a
brand-new spatial experience by outlining the
size of the grid and stone different to that of
those of the 1970s and 1980s.
The Status of Exterior Spaces and the
Recent Changes
The outdoor space, defined by the type and
the finish of its architectural elements, are
preserved in order to respond to the native
context of Guui-dong. Except for the size
of the windows – which has been slightly
altered – the Korean style bay windows,
the 30-year-old red brick, the eaves and
tiles of the roof, the detailing on the steps
of the first floor, and the finish of the lower
level foundation all remain untouched, in
consideration of their values representing
the common architectural style of the
1980s. The changes have been minimised
by replacing the old windows with the one
of advanced insulation capability, overlaying
a mortar whose colour matches with the
existing one in the monolithic sense of the
volume, and wrapping the rails of outdated
stairs and the balcony with coloured
stainless steel panels. I hope that Salon
Guui will create a homogeneous but unique
landscape amidst the other local buildings
built in the 1980s, privileging a contrast
between the more common similarities and
its subtle distinctiveness.102 PROJECT SALON GUUI
architectural elements on the basis of values
found in collective architecture that are
representative of the contemporary moment:
the entrance layout by floor, the architectural
elements of the exterior, the construction
method of the floor and walls as well as the
architectural details, the underground toilet,
and plumbing system are all preserved in the
style of ‘collective architecture’ that evokes
a particular era. On the other hand, part of
the wall and the slab have been demolished
in order to meet with the purposes and
functions of a more current programme.
Let’s take a closer look at the
aforementioned issues. First of all, the
bathroom used by two units in the semi-
basement allows us to imagine the living
conditions experienced in the 1970s and
1980s. Parasite, a film by Bong Joon-ho,
features a toilet located near the road that
is set so low that no one can stand inside
it. The toilet in the semi-basement in Salon
Guui shares similarities with this example. As
mentioned earlier, the bunker derived from
an earlier building code and faced renewed
demand on the housing market, initiating a
conversion on what it would be to transform
the bunker into houses, and creating the
need to install unplanned bathroom and
kitchen units. However, the septic tank was
installed underground near the road so that
the flow would flow uninterrupted into the
sewer pipe. Its position affected the location
and height of the underground toilet. In
addition, to secure a slope in the pipe,
these toilets had to be placed close to the
tank. If we consider these facts altogether,
the layout of the underground toilet is
understood in light of the social situation of
the time. The underground toilet, however,
has been removed since the basement
and the first floor can only accommodate
a single programme in this project. There
is a toilet on the first floor. As the soil that
supported the toilet is removed at the
base of the building, vertical access to the
first floor has been newly introduced whilepreserving the pipeline and vestiges of the
underground toilet.The Status of Interior Space and the
Modifications
This project reveals the covered finish
of the 30-year-old house and the story
behind these changes. When tearing
down the slab and finish on the first
floor, interesting traces of the expansion
of space and its construction began to
emerge. On the east wall of the first floor
layers of different materials remain intact,
from the bricks of the initial design to the
final finish inserted illegally to expand the
interior space. It seems that the bricks were
laid over the marble foundations without
considering the paricular characteristic
of materials – marble, mortar, and brick- when merging with the terrace (the
foundation), which would have been an
outdoor space. However, the layers of
brick of slightly different textures and the
marble layer between them hinted at the
years of difference between each phase
of construction. In addition, the opening
of the wall was found to have been filled,
becoming a wall for surrounding space and
internalised during the illegal expansion—
As such, the house displays unusual
construction methods and use of materials,
and the refurbishment allows new users
to experience the finish and construction
methods of each phase by maintaining them.
On the other wall facing the east wall of the
first floor, there is a mixture of decorative
molding made of lauan plywood and the
wallpaper. The style of bricks and mortar
are preserved to appear as if on display,
removing only the finish. In the space in
the northern section, which used to be a
kitchen area, a layout sketch in chalk lies
behind the finish, preserved as a trace of
the architect’s thinking from the 1980s. The
slab creating the water tank compartment
on the rooftop, which isn’t currently used,
has been cut open and lit up to devise the
entrance to the second floor; a double-story
space. The pipes connected to the tank
remain untouched, as part of the overall style
revealing the frontal system of the building
instituted at the time.
Attempts made to characterise the new
finish as a governing architectural element
appear on the first floor as well. The Terrazo- which normally used in public buildings
and apartments of the 1970s and the 1980s,
and made by grinding cement and rubber
between the 900mm brass case – has been
reinterpreted on a scale set by lines and
planar elements in Salon Guui. The first floor
grid, with 150mm brass cases filled with black
concrete and dark gray stones, presents a
brand-new spatial experience by outlining the
size of the grid and stone different to that of
those of the 1970s and 1980s.
The Status of Exterior Spaces and the
Recent Changes
The outdoor space, defined by the type and
the finish of its architectural elements, are
preserved in order to respond to the native
context of Guui-dong. Except for the size
of the windows – which has been slightly
altered – the Korean style bay windows,
the 30-year-old red brick, the eaves and
tiles of the roof, the detailing on the steps
of the first floor, and the finish of the lower
level foundation all remain untouched, in
consideration of their values representing
the common architectural style of the
1980s. The changes have been minimised
by replacing the old windows with the one
of advanced insulation capability, overlaying
a mortar whose colour matches with the
existing one in the monolithic sense of the
volume, and wrapping the rails of outdated
stairs and the balcony with coloured
stainless steel panels. I hope that Salon
Guui will create a homogeneous but unique
landscape amidst the other local buildings
built in the 1980s, privileging a contrast
between the more common similarities and
its subtle distinctiveness.