Yeonhui 92-2 mixed-use building Seoul, South Korea

Yeonhui 92-2 — Mixed-use Building, Seoul

23 October 2026

Architecture: Cho and Partners

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Photos: Dahae Park (architecture), rohspace (interior)

The Yeonhui-dong mixed-use building begins with a respect for the existing alleyways and surrounding context. The neighbourhood is composed of a dense fabric of small-scale residential buildings, where older structures reveal layers of time and accumulated history. Traditional alleyways and modest houses coexist, forming a local identity where past and present overlap.

The core idea of the project is to create an architecture that harmonises with this environment through natural tones, restrained materials and simple massing. Rather than introducing an assertive form, the design seeks to integrate quietly into its surroundings while respecting the emotional character of the neighbourhood.

The intention is a building that can settle into its place over time, maintaining the atmosphere of the existing streetscape while gently introducing new vitality. By removing unnecessary elements and pursuing an essential architectural language, the project aims for a balanced relationship with its context.

The site sits at the beginning of a quiet secondary street, where the elevation is directly exposed on approach from the main road. Responding to this, the mass is divided into three parts and their angles adjusted to give the elevation variety, and the ground floor is designed so that the building appears to float when seen from a distance.

Entry to the basement and to the upper floors is separated to improve access, and louvers and walls are placed to protect privacy. Stone tile was chosen for the exterior to emphasise the materiality while sitting naturally among the surrounding brick buildings.

Inside, wooden finishes guide the structural flow of the space. The ceiling in the shared areas is finished in a warm wood tone, creating horizontal stability while evenly diffusing light. The stairwell walls and stairs use the same material continuously, so that vertical circulation between floors is perceived as a single unified wooden mass. This element extends beyond movement, functioning as a central axis that organises the entire space.

In the private areas, the walls are also finished with wood, so that the material language established in the communal zones extends seamlessly into the living spaces. As a result, the boundary between public and private is not rigidly defined, but flows naturally within a cohesive and warm tonal environment.

Yeonhui 92-2 mixed-use building Seoul, South Korea – Building Information

Architects: Cho and Partners – https://www.choandpartners.com/

Project Title: Yeonhui 92-2
Client: Private
Architect: Cho and Partners — Hyeonjin Cho, Yelim Lee (architecture); Hyeonjin Cho, Soobin Kim (interior)
Engineer: Cho and Partners
Site area: 267.40 sqm
Built area: 131.32 sqm
Gross Floor area: 419.53 sqm
Building scale: 1 basement level, 2 storeys above ground
Structure: Reinforced concrete
Programme: Neighbourhood living facilities
Location: Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Status: Completed
Project completion date: 2023
Cost: Not disclosed
Contractor: Direct management
Materials: exterior — stone tile; floor — tile, stone and wood; walls — tile and exposed concrete.