When architects—or politicians, for that matter—speak of walls, they usually see them as boundaries dividing one place from another. UnSangDong Architects took a radically different approach at a new house outside of Seoul, punching openings through them, making them portals and creating unique opportunities to bring in light and frame views. Instead of barriers, they’re thresholds. 

UnSangDong, a RECORD Design Vanguard winner in 2006, has established a reputation for inventive designs that use folded, layered, and faceted forms to create striking identities for buildings. With Wall House, the firm defines the project’s structure and image with a set of five parallel brick walls, each 35 feet high. Spaced at different intervals from one another, the imposing brick planes create a visual rhythm that modulates interior and exterior spaces—from generous living and dining rooms to narrower service areas.