Living Manifold: A Residential Structure Weaving Preservation and Coexistence

Living Manifold proposes a new identity for the extension of the University of Seoul International House, where preservation and coexistence are organized into a multilayered residential structure. Located between the existing residence halls, Haneul Pond, and Baebongsan Mountain, the site is not only a place for additional dormitory rooms but also a critical point where nature, campus life, and residential community overlap.

The project responds to this condition by arranging a T-shaped residential tower and a low-rise communal base around a sequence of open spaces. The upper residential volume is set back to secure privacy, daylight, and views, while the lower communal area extends the existing dormitory programs and creates a shared platform for students. Public and semi-public programs are placed at the lower levels with separated access routes, allowing local community use without disturbing the security of the student residential zone.

The shared spaces are organized as an expanded living room system: the urban living room at the lower level, the community living room at the first floor, and the everyday living rooms distributed across the residential floors. These spaces support different scales of interaction, from public events and RC programs to small study, rest, and casual encounters between residents.

Landscape is also treated as an active framework rather than a background. The front yard, courtyard, rear garden, and rooftop garden form a gradual transition from campus openness to residential privacy and the ecological edge of Baebongsan. Through this layered arrangement, Living Manifold redefines the dormitory extension as a living network that connects nature and campus, individual privacy and collective life, students and the wider community.

Year: 2026

Location : Seoul, Korea

Size : 6,796.86 m²

Status : Competition Entry

Type : Domitory

Principal in Charge :

Seojoo Lee, Hyojung Kim (I.f), Dongil Kim, (I.f CDL)

Design Team :

Seungil Kim, Gwangeun Hwang (I.f)

Cross Louvers

Screen Louvers

Horizontal Ribbon

Spatial Renovation

This study proposes a façade and interior renewal plan for the Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, with a focus on accessibility, courtyard connectivity, and environmental performance. The building suffers from deteriorated exterior tiles, exposed equipment, outdated public areas, and level differences that weaken the connection between indoor spaces and the courtyard.

The façade alternatives — Cross Louvers, Screen Louvers, and Horizontal Ribbon — respond to the school’s identity by expressing convergence and exchange while also improving shading performance and concealing exterior equipment. The interior strategy is distinguished by the addition of ramps and elevators for barrier-free access, the restructuring of low-level public spaces, the overcoming of courtyard level differences, and the conversion of underused upper-level space into an open rooftop garden.

Year: 2025

Location : Yongin, Korea

Status : Design Proposal

Type : Institution, Renovation

Principal in Charge :

Dongil Kim (I.f CDL, KHU)

Design Team : Bugun Kim (I.f CDL)