Header: Yoon, Joonhwan
Set among the green tea terraces of Hadong in South Korea’s Gyeongsangnam-do province, On Architects Inc. has completed a project that blends seamlessly into the mountain landscape of Jirisan.
Finished in 2024, the design embraces the contours of the land, creating a quiet dialogue between architecture and the centuries-old tea fields that surround it. Led by Jung Woongsik, and featuring design team members Kim Namsu, Kim Hyukgi, Kim Minseong, Choi Seungwoo, and Jeong Mingi, the project was recognised with the Jury’s Favourite Award in Architectural Design – Hospitality at the BLT Built Design Awards and praised for its sensitive balance of form, material, and context.
Like a gem hidden in the Ssanggyesa valley, the building is carved into the hillside, following the slope’s natural rhythm.
Material, movement, and meaning
Each design element of this unique home is in alignment with nature. Stones from the old tea terraces are repurposed as walls, while the stepped fields are transformed into garden terraces that flow seamlessly from the interior. As visitors move through the home, the sequence of spaces rises and falls with the land, making the architecture feel like an extension of the surrounding landscape.
Inside, hand-applied lime-cement walls resemble the texture of earth and memory, with layered brushstrokes forming organic, tactile surfaces. As guests pass through a sequence of enclosed and open spaces, the structure unfolds to show breathtaking views of local bamboo forests and distant hills.
Beyond its architectural accomplishment, the work carries personal significance and nostalgic memories. The client returned to their mother’s tea farm, transforming it into a space of renewal and continuity amid the region’s ongoing rural decline. The result is both a homecoming and a prototype for reviving the land’s cultural and environmental memory.
Project info
Design company: On Architects Inc.
Lead designer: Jung Woongsik
Design team: Kim Namsu / Kim Hyukgi / Kim Minseong / Choi Seungwoo / Jeong Mingi
Header: Yoon Joonhwan
Completed: 2024
