Completed in 1998, the Sujoldang House was the physical outcome of a philosophical reflection on the essence of a Korean house. During the quick urbanization process, Koreans as people didn’t get to enjoy the luxury of pausing to reflect on where they were headed: the result was a deluge of bizarre-looking hybrid of tiny Frenchy houses. When Seung H-Sang was designing the house for art critic Yoo Hong-jun, he wanted to imbue the Korean architectural principles into a modern form. The resulting house that goes by the name of Sujoldong has three bodies of courtyards separated by ‘anchae’ and ‘sarangchae’. It demonstrates a type of spatial blankness that is commonly observed in Hanok. The house was recently renovated after 28 years of its completion. The film documents the Korean architectural archetypes manifested in Sujoldang’s history of caring and repairing.

This film is part of a series Open House Seoul is presenting for Open House Worldwide's Housing and the People. The series explores two themes. The first is the Elements of House, which delves into the housing culture in Korea and showcases emerging trends. It features two projects that offer alternatives to apartments, the dominant housing type in Korea. The second theme is Rewritten House and features two remodeling projects that not only extend the residual life of old houses but attempt to reconfigure their purpose and utility altogether.