Teummak Open Hut / one-aftr

The hut (mak, 막) is one of humanity's earliest forms of shelter, a simple structure made of a roof and ground, often without walls, shaped by and responsive to the site's conditions. In contrast, contemporary architecture tends to disregard its environment, contributing to cities filled with dense and disconnected spaces. What we now need is a gap (teum, 틈) within our cities, where natural elements can once again be felt. Teummak, combining teum (gap) and mak (hut), proposes a new kind of openness in urban life.

Zheng used to have a house in Shang'ao Village of Moganshan, which had the design style of rural houses in the 70s and 80s, but it had been left vacant for a long time. In 2018, when the homestay industry was still thriving, he thought about rebuilding the house. On one hand, it could serve as a homestay and generate some revenue. On the other hand, considering that the structure of the original house was not very stable and there was some adhesion to the space with the neighbors to the north, he wanted to solve these issues through reconstruction. We received Zheng's design commission through the recommendation of Chuanzhang and Xiaoqing. Zheng's requirements are simple: to have more rooms on a good design basis. 'Room' can be the concept as a starting point to connect the entire design.

This renovation project reimagines a 60-square-meter apartment by maximizing visual and spatial fluidity while carefully designing light and shadow to enhance depth, openness, and a three-dimensional spatial experience. Despite its compact footprint, the apartment unfolds with a richness of perception and movement, orchestrated through shifting sightlines, varied floor levels, and nuanced material transitions. The generous ceiling height and a private roof terrace serve as key spatial assets, enabling a layout that encourages both fluid circulation and moments of calm, shared intimacy.

Creating development near the shoreline is a particularly difficult and responsible task. Pressure from investors, for whom a large and distinctive building is to their liking, not infrequently results in oversized buildings. In the case of Apartamenty Bałtycki, the overriding goal of the project was to dialogue with both the architecture of the characteristic pre-war villas of Swinoujscie and the landscape of the coastal dune where the development was located.