Daeyang Gallery and House

Daeyang Gallery and House

By: Colleen O’Malley

Daeyang Gallery is a private house and gallery located in Seoul, Korea. The project was designed as an experiment parallel to a research studio on “the architectonics of music.” The basic geometry of the building is inspired by a 1967 sketch for a music score by the composer Istvan Anhalt, “Symphony of Modules,” which was discovered in a book by John Cage titled “Notations.”

The project contains three pavilions. The pavilions are divided; one dedicated for the entrance, one for the residence, and one for an event space. The spaces appear to push upward from a continuous lower galley. The water plane of reference establishes the above and below level. The views from each of the pavilions are also framed by the water in reflecting pools, bracketed by gardens that run perpendicular to the skylight strips. At the base of the reflecting pool are strips of glass which brings light to the white walls of the gallery below. The idea of the project is to create a space which is silent until penetrate by light. There are a total of 55 skylight strips in the roofs of the pavilions. Strips of glass allow the sun to bend around the interior, animating them according to the time of day and season. The project is organized around the proportions 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and 55.

A visitor arrives at a bamboo framed garden wall at the entry court. Once traveling through the front door and traveling down a small staircase, one can see the pond at eye level and see the three pavilions. The interiors are red and charcoal stained wood with the skylights cutting through the wood ceiling. The exteriors are comprised of rain screen of custom copper.