This house was built upon the small wishes of a young couple in their 30s. They dreamed of a home where their child, due to be born in six months, could run and play freely. As they had hoped, it became their own little retreat in the city.
The site is located in a mid-sized provincial city, positioned at the boundary between an old, low-rise residential cluster and an apartment complex. Like many such areas, it lies somewhere between the village structures formed in the 1950s and ’60s and newly developed districts resulting from administrative reorganization. In designing this house, we contemplated a contemporary urban dwelling suitable for a young family living in today’s city while embedding a sense of timeless value.
The year was 2021, and the world had entered the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Society had adapted to a new norm of non-contact interactions, and silence pervaded everyday life. News articles repeatedly reported outbreaks in communal housing, discouraging outdoor activities and making people increasingly withdrawn. Many longed for a private, secure haven. This social atmosphere is directly reflected in the design—layered outdoor spaces and a multi-layered façade, resembling a fortified medieval castle.
A small reception room was designated separately for guests. It even includes a simple kitchenette, bathroom, and sleeping area to prevent easy access to the residents’ private spaces. Beyond this area, the main entrance is revealed, accompanied by a small handwashing station. The dining room, kitchen, and living room encircle a small central courtyard, allowing for easy supervision of the child playing in the yard, ensuring safety.
To block the view from the neighboring apartment, high walls were built, while a horizontally elongated opening was made to frame the trees in the park across the street. On the second-floor terrace, the child can enjoy water play in the heat of summer, filling the space with joy. Overlooking this scene is a sunlit corridor with soaring ceilings, where another handwashing station is thoughtfully placed. A tree growing in the courtyard below extends its branches high into the sky, offering a dynamic, three-dimensional experience of nature.
In the evenings, the child retreats to the attic, engrossed in fairy tales, while the father finishes his work under the glow of the setting sun. Every level of the house is designed with play spaces, allowing the child to run, climb, and explore freely.
