Abstract
The aim of this study is to interpret the relationship between topography and architecture in the houses designed by the Korean architect, Kim Incheurl from the 2000s. Kim′s various types of single houses built on a range of sites can be seen as representing a typology that addresses the complementary relationship between architecture and topography. His interpretation of the site considered neither narrativity nor romantic association, and rather focused on the physical realities of the site. His houses complemented what was lacking on the sites by architectural framing that contains the practices of human life. The topography of the site was reconfigured using architectural framing and was thus rehabilitated through the performance of window-walls. However, Kim′s houses are limited in their reaction to the site, in terms of the consideration of site sustainability, plan type, material, and window-wall design. In order to suggest a productive criticism that can provide insight into the performative relationship between Kim′s houses and topography, this paper suggests three topics: 1) creating sustainable outdoor settings on the site, 2) creating a deep structure of interior space, and 3) developing performative window-walls through the variation of materials and opening operation.
