The Orb House / Chiasmus Partners

Chiasmus Partners recently completed The Orb House in the residential area of Hyangrindongsan, Yongin. This 198-square-meter project sits on a hillside, responding to the natural slope of the terrain. The architects structured the design around a central circular courtyard that draws light and wind into the living environment while filtering views of the surrounding woodland and village.

The layout draws inspiration from Alvar Aalto's Experimental House and traditional Korean residential architecture. A continuous, curved roofline connects the main house, which serves as the parents' residence, and a smaller annex for their daughters. This approach balances the need for privacy with the desire for proximity, ensuring both family members maintain independent spaces under a single architectural form.

Concrete walls extend beyond the interior, functioning as both structural elements and boundaries for the private outdoor space. These walls guide occupants through a series of layered visual connections. The design treats these thresholds as extensions of the architecture, where the interior transitions into the exterior through floor slabs that function as decks.

Rather than forcing an iconic, singular shape, the focus remains on how the building sits within its landscape. The house mediates the relationship between the residents and the mountains. By reinterpreting the spatial organization of historic pavilions, the project creates a quiet, grounded environment suited for contemporary life. The resulting structure acts as a unified landscape, blending the private family life of the courtyard with the wider setting of the hillside.