“Buildings only become architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary when they are shared,” said William Ti Jr., founder of the Anthology Festival and WTA Architecture and Design Studio, […]
The Cliff Hotel Jeju: How to Accentuate the Environment Around Us
The Cliff Hotel Jeju is another example of building to accommodate the nature around us; but instead of residential homes, it’s a commercial establishment that capitalizes on its views to attract tourists. Built in 2015 by Soltozibin Architects and located in Seogwipo, South Korea, it sits atop Hanlla Mountain facing a vast valley with vistas of the Eongtto Falls, as well as the Yeryecheon.
With lead architect Cho Namho steering the ship, the hotel is an example of Narrative Landscape, which seeks to create environments that use the physical space and all that surrounds it to convey a sense of place and story.
Triangular Building Plans
The hotel is built in the shape of a trinity. It contains three distinct sections of the hotel coming together within a central triangular space. The trinity conforms to the cliffside’s topography, and treats guests to spectacular views of the valley.
Building the structure demanded adapting to the cliff’s dramatic slopes. This meant following the natural undulations and making necessary changes to the landscape to perfectly conform to the mountain’s shape.
This meant placing the lobby in an underground level due to the site’s topography. But this created a problem in the form of an empty space of the hotel’s actual ground level. The architects turned it into a grassland garden to connect the hotel’s buildings and courtyard together.
The lobby in the basement creates some curious architectural features. While the parking lot is built below ground, it’s technically on top of the grassland garden and conforms to the building’s shape. That conformity to the triangular structure works well enough to allow an easier way for cars to enter and exit the parking lot of the building.
Modern Amenities by the Cliffside
Meanwhile, areas like the atrium accommodate the form of the building with its triangle-cylindrical shape. It creates a sleek look that appears almost futuristic. One could point out that it would not be out of place on the set of science fiction movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The hotel’s design cleverly takes advantage of the mountainous area’s dramatic cliffside edge. The planning of the amenities situate them below the main building, oriented towards the forested valley below. This creates a sense of harmony with nature.
Among these include a restaurant deck with windows that show off the outside, and an infinity pool whose edge cantilevers directly above the valley and its streams.
The Cliff Hotel Jeju shows that architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary on a large, commercial scale need not destroy the natural landscape it occupies. Buildings can and should conform to the environment surrounding it as much as possible. And one’s reward, beyond a livable Earth, are spectacular views that give your stay in the country something to remember it by.
Related reading: The Solid Wave Pattern of This Residence in Jeju Island is Inspired by The Nearby Ocean
A Filipino Interpretation of Modernist Architecture Unlike the rest of Makati today, the northern end of Paseo de Roxas in Makati is anchored by a low complex rather than a tall skyscraper. This is the elegant Asian Institute of Management, designed by architect Gabriel Formoso and completed in 1971. In my opinion, the building is […]
“Thailand has claimed urban creativity and livability. Singapore has institutional design leadership. Indonesia is emerging as a design hub. Vietnam is moving into design innovation. And the Philippines? Its position is not weak. It is simply unclaimed.” For IDr. Cecil Ravelas, National President of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID), the challenge is not […]
The Ramon Magsaysay Center as a Modernist Landmark Driving down Roxas boulevard from Rizal Park, what will catch your eye is the most elegant modernist structure in the country, the Ramon Magsaysay Center. Most established Filipino architects put it in their top ten lists of favorite buildings. It was designed by Alfredo J. Luz, who […]
Rinna Soriano’s favorite part of her work is sanding. At her workbench, she stays focused, following the grain, adjusting to changes in its direction. Narra, she has learned, can have interlocking grain. A piece of mango once proved particularly difficult until a worker explained that she had reached the point where a branch once grew […]
Filipino architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary has long been associated with indigenous materials and vernacular design strategies, from bamboo and timber construction to jalousie windows, generous spaces, […]
A chair does not always prescribe how to sit in it. A lamp can be more than a source of light. A clock can be more than a way to tell the time.These small departures from convention are at the center of IKEA PS 2026. The latest iteration of IKEA’s experimental PS series comprises more […]
Large-format porcelain is no longer limited to conventional floor and wall applications. Advances in scale, finish, and fabrication have expanded its role across architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture […]
Read the issues.
Collect the volumes.
Recommended Video
Tap to Unmute
Unmute
0:00
0:00