In Korea, presale of apartments prevails, meaning home buyers base their purchases on model houses and blueprints. Apartment units of a certain size generally have similar floorplans and buyers have an idea of what they will look like when completed.
Construction companies, which are also developers in most cases, sell apartment units that are considered investments as well as dwellings. The hope is that apartment prices will rise, at which point some homeowners may choose to sell, only to begin the process again.
Some make a different choice, building their housing together with the architect and other residents to create their community and neighborhood.
Difficult, but worth it
In Malli-dong near Seoul station, there is a residential complex that is home to 29 households of artists. The 10-year-old neighborhood was designed by architect Lee Eun-kyung, principal at EMA Architects & Associates, with active participation by the co-op of artists that would live there.
The smell of barbecue and music filled the neighborhood at the top of a hilly road on Oct. 26 as residents came out for a block party. Media artist Kim Kyung-ho said he can’t imagine how he could raise his son if he did not live here where the residents care about each other and their kids.
“When we need a hand with the kids, we reach out to our neighbors as we all know each other," he said, adding that such an arrangement saves money and helps the artists' mental health.
“Interaction is costly, you need to spend time with others and compromise to reach an agreement — but that is definitely worth it,” he added.
The public rental housing was planned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and commissioned by Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH), the public housing arm of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, to create a community for artists that would involve the residents in the design process.
The project aimed to shatter the perception that public rental housing was of poor quality and that residents were merely short-term dwellers without any vested interest in the housing or neighborhood.
Painter Cho Eun-man, who has lived in the community since 2014 when the building was completed, said she decided to live there for life. She offers painting classes for other artists every Wednesday and takes care of kids when young couples need help.
“I had a long-term vision when I moved in here. I love being involved in the community, and spending time with these people. It is not easy sometimes as people want different levels of interaction, which is part of what we talk about with the residents here,” Cho said during her class at the building's common space on Oct. 30.
Architect Lee altered the design several times, holding 10 in-person meetings and exchanging numerous emails with the co-op members to collect their ideas about the space. The co-op of artists in different fields, named M.A. Coop, was formed in 2013.
Lee designed three separate buildings with 4-meter-wide alleys between them to create a cozy environment where small interactions among the residents take place daily.
As the residential complex is operated by the co-op, Lee had to be mindful of maintenance costs. This led to the installation of a single elevator in the building with communal space and small bridges connecting the three buildings so that people could easily move between buildings.
“Interacting with the residents was never easy," Lee said. "But as an architect, I considered myself a strong fighter determined to guarantee the quality of the space, convincing the residents, constructor, client and supervisor throughout the project."
Neighborhood without walls
Ganghwa House Complex on Ganghwa Island, off the northwestern coast of Incheon, is another community that residents and an architect designed together. The neighborhood started with parents who wished to raise their kids in a better environment.
After the first meeting on March 25, 2018, it took four years to construct the 12 homes that make up the complex.
“We literately started from scratch. We had a discussion about what type of community we wanted to have, and we looked for a plot together with the architect,” said resident Jeon Min-sung. “Our discussion gained momentum after we met a housing cooperative union called Housing Coops that made our plan feasible.”
Housing Coops is a loose co-op launched in 2013 by a group seeking diversity in housing. It helps bring together residents who wish to build their community and connects them with an architect to create the space.
Architect Yoon Seung-hyun, founder of Interkerd Architects and a professor at Chung-Ang University, designed varying units for residents spanning generations -- from kids to seniors.
The town was completed in 2022 and won the grand prize at the 2023 Korean Architecture Awards. "I have experience designing private luxury houses. Through that experience, I learned it is difficult to reach a compromise with the client. The difficult part is persuading clients who insist on sticking to what they want when I am sure that they will regret it," Yoon said. At one point, Yoon quit designing private homes.
“These people, however, were determined to get away from the typical apartment environment to pursue their own communal life, which ignited my motivation as an architect,” he added.
One may be baffled by the lack of walls separating the complex from its surrounding areas. "Putting up a wall usually intends to separate one's space from others, but it also makes one blind to what is happening outside the wall," Yoon said.
The complex has a small library that was originally designed as a community center but was tweaked by the architect at the request of the residents.
A small privately-run library, which once stood near where Ganghwa House Complex stands today before it was closed down, has reopened and continues to function as a casual gathering place for the residents of Yangdo-myeon.
“It is a community that embraces a library for everyone including those outside our community,” said Jeon. “It is not just a library, but it is an open space for a birthday party or even an exhibition by students. We are very thankful to Yoon for having listened to all our demands in creating the complex."
Hur Soo-jin, head of the residents group, said it is up to the residents how the housing complex is maintained. It will evolve with the people who live here, including newcomers.
"I am looking forward to how the complex will have changed in 20 years time," Hur said.
This article is the fourth in a series exploring diversity in housing in South Korea. --Ed.
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