Dojin Retreat

Under Construction South Korea 2023 -

Dojin Retreat sits at the base of a mountain where the land slopes up to the north and faces south towards a river. The clients chose this site based on the principles of Korean geomancy called Pungsu. We were building on land where there was a great flow of energy. We knew that the design should embody and heighten an awareness to this spiritual energy.

The front garden of grass, gravel, and a stone walk of locally quarried granite serves as an empty space—a reset for the senses and mind upon arriving. The path rises with the ground as it swells upwards around an unyielding concrete base. Beyond the entrance, a dim, low-ceiling foyer transitions between outside and inside. A long library hall running the length of the building is bathed with soft north light and dimensioned for the client’s heirloom library and bookcases. Heavy timber Cypress beams prefabricated in Japan are left exposed on the ceiling – evidence of the structure’s strength and permanence. All other rooms face south, each opening out to its own framed view of the landscape.

The overall image of the retreat is dark, simple, and quiet. A row of black-stained timber columns delicately holds up a low-slung roof made of clay shingles. Black stucco walls wrap the exterior steeping its existence into the shadows of the surrounding trees and bamboo. Through several iterations we found an expression for the retreat that is modern and abstract, yet feels familiar against the backdrop of traditional Korean Hanok structures. The presence of the home is best captured in the client’s own words: A dignified place of concentrated energy and deepness.

Builder: TL Homes