‘Five-Story House’ is the result of vertically stacking the zones of a one-family house on a small plot in a highly dense zone of Seoul, where block housing with reduced areas is a provocative residential type.

The project sets out to accommodate in one home the lives of different members of a family. Hence five bedrooms besides the other spaces essential to a dwelling, plus a study and playroom for the small children.

In place of large openings for wide views are narrow windows that suffice to bring in light while protecting the privacy of the inhabitants.

The mass of over 9 meters undergoes some stepping – with setbacks required for neighborhood daylight and a cantilever over the parking spot – and becomes a typical construction form in this residential part of the city. The five-story house makes small adjustments through ‘arcs’ in the building’s main elements. The parking ‘arc’, the sloped wall of the fourth floor, the entry, and the openings on elevations together create the unique look and identity of the vertical private house.