Songpa Micro-Housing wins BSA Award – Approved for Construction

In a ceremony earlier this year, 'Songpa Micro-Housing' in Seoul, Korea was awarded a 2012 Unbuilt Architecture Award from the BSA/AIA. Recently approved by the city for construction, the new building leverages zoning constraints to create 'tapioca space' around the units: Like the ambiguous gel around a tapioca pearl, a soft intersection between public/private and interior/exterior expands the perceived size and useable area of the units. Designed specifically for the underserved artist community in Seoul, the building will couple much needed living space with 2nd floor and subterranean galleries and artist work spaces. As a new concept for housing, the global problem of urban density as it equates to housing costs is addressed: The project demonstrates that dense, small-scale urbanism does not have to compromise quality of life.