Korean architects AND imagined this hotel on Geoje Island as a hand of outstretched fingers, with rooms and balconies pointing out in different directions (+ slideshow).
Containing just five suites and a cafe, the small concrete hotel sits beside the seafront in the small fishing village and was designed to give each guest a different view of the surrounding archipelago.
"We planned the building to be recognised as a single mass as one approaches, yet we wanted the five units to be independent and private," AND's senior researcher Lee, Kyoung Tae told Dezeen. "The intention has resulted in a building form that reminds you of fingers pointing at the archipelago, or a sea creature like an octopus."
The entire structure appears as a solid mass of concrete, including the balconies. Windows sit in deep recesses, revealing the thickness of the walls.
"The monolithic quality of concrete reflects the architectural concept well," said Lee. "Also, the pattern left on the surface after taking off the formwork gives the building an organic quality."
Guest rooms inside the three-storey building are arranged over five split levels and each suite comes with a balcony and a small kitchen.
The hotel is one of several planned additions to the village intended to encourage tourism.
South Korean studio AND is based in Seoul. Past projects include the cedar-clad Villa Topoject and the Skinspace art studio with a wall of wooden scales.
See more architecture in South Korea »
Photography is by Kim, Yong Gwan.
Above: concept diagram
Here's a project description from AND:
Aggrenad
Sea + Archipelago
The site sits in front of the sea where the famous sea battle between Korea and Japan took place in the 16th century, which caused the return of General Lee Sun Shin back to the Korean navy. There still are attempts to search the remains of the historic Turtle Ship in the sea.
Above: site plan
While listening to the famous story from the client, the winding coastline and the varying water level of the archipelago create the continuously changing landscape. The small islands are like buildings and the sea is like streets and squares.
Above: ground floor plan
Mass + Individual
Unlike other well-known beaches in the island, the site is located in a small fishing village slightly off from the major tourist area. The residents of the village mostly work in the fishing industry and have long been living in the area for generations. Recently, there have been changes in the village. The town plans to construct the Battle of Chilchunryang Memorial Park and a beach to attract more tourists.
Above: first floor plan
Within these changes the owner plans to build a small Guesthouse. Soon, the site will be a place where the public (mass) visits and the memories are accumulated. Isn’ it better to offer individual frames of the landscape for them rather than to offer a monotonous scene like a souvenir photograph? How shall we construct an architectural device that produces different images of the same place?
Above: second floor plan
Aggregation + Monad
The building is formed like how fingers are branched out from a hand forming different parts. It is the aggregation of unique rooms, yet at the same time, it is an organic monad. Each unit is cantilevered out towards the sea as if fingers are pointing at the nearby islands. This allows each unit to frame the surrounding landscape in a unique way. This three story building is consisted of five rooms and a small cafe, and the rooms stacked in five split levels. The floor and the ceiling of each unit are stretched out toward the different directions, and at the end of each unit is a small balcony, which opens up toward the sea and the sky.
Above: front elevation
Project Name: Aggrenad
Design: AND
Construction: Kim, Dong Shik
Location: Geojesi, Gyeongsangnamdo, Korea
Site: 433.00m2
Construction Area: 121.26m2
Gross Area: 198.55m2
Floors: 3
Structure: RC
Materials: Exposed Concrete
Above: north elevation