9 incredible buildings and architecture to visit on Jeju Island, from museums to churches

If you type “architecture” and “Jeju Island” in any Internet search engine, the name Itami Jun would most likely turn up in the results. Born in Japan to Korean parents, the architect created many iconic buildings that highlight the beauty of materials in their natural state. One of them is Bangju Church, translated in English to “Church of Sky”, completed two years before his death in 2011.

A shimmery roof sporting a tessellated pattern of zinc metal plates defines the long building. It caps a timber-screened structure, whose skewed angles are a playful riff on the rural vernacular barn prototype. Poised on a pool, it has been described as an abstract ark—the perfect metaphor for its numinous use.

Read more: A K-pop and K-drama fan’s ultimate guide to South Korea

A key contributor to the Lotte Resort Jeju Art Villas project, French architect Dominique Perrault, the founder of award-winning Dominique Perrault Architecture, counts the French National Library among his most famous works; it clinched the Mies van der Rohe Prize in 1996. He also designed the Ewha Womans University (Fukoku Tower) in Osaka.

“Recreating landscapes, not creating buildings—this encapsulates the vitality of my designs at Lotte Jeju Art Villas. The [rice] paddies, fields, shoreline, waterfalls and columnar joints [of traditional Korean architecture] that make up the Jeju landscape are all elements of the ‘fresh bubble’ design theme,” he said of the villas, where curvilinear lines define every element, right down to the furniture.

Led by Jo Nagasaka, Japanese architectural firm Schemata Architects is adept at celebrating the evolving life of buildings. One example is D&Department Jeju by Arario (an art gallery in South Korea), housing a restaurant, gallery, shop and hotel divided into two blocks—a chic red structure and a sombre grey one.

Here, artists and creatives can stay and hold workshops in a dedicated space called “d news”, as well as find new inspiration over the course of several days.

Visitors can purchase the objects and furniture they enjoy using throughout the building. Completely different ones take their place when the former pieces are sold, rendering the interiors in a state of flux. Likewise for the green tower made from scaffolds placed in between the blocks: the plants hung for display on this structure can be purchased and when they are gone, they are replaced with random assortments.

In case you missed it: 6 Korean design hotels in Seoul and Jeju to visit for the perfect autumn holiday

Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen is wildly popular among South Korea’s cool set, so perhaps it is no surprise that a store was opened on Jeju Island this year. The largest Fritz Hansen store in South Korea has a pristine white exterior that emphasises its pitched-roof form. Located in Daejeong-eup, in the area of Seogwipo, the store comprises several blocks, with the outdoor spaces in between offering potential room for events.

Making its debut in March in a picturesque zone overlooking Gapa Island and Mara Island to the south, it was designed by Korean architectural firm Ondo. The store features the Fritz Hansen Colour Wheel—a circular sculpture from archival images inspired by storage and transport tools that were used in the production line of the brand’s products from the 1950s to the 1970s. Within, Fritz Hansen Ant chairs in 16 colours play a perpetual game of follow-the-leader.

Next to D&Department Jeju by Arario, Schemata Architects transformed a former Burger King store into Freitag Jeju by MMMG. The store’s raw interiors match the brand’s ethos of giving new life to old truck tarps, seat belts, bicycle tyre tubes, car airbags and the like by turning them into bags. The store is located on the second floor to encourage customers to go upstairs, where there is an outdoor terrace.

The design team retained many original elements, such as black-and-white chequered floor tiles from the fast-food outlet, window sashes with retro-style geometric patterns, and cast-iron railings with a ubiquitous plant pattern. A carefree ’80s theme and a touch of nostalgia pay homage to these features while tying the whole building together.

Don’t miss: The best ski resorts near Seoul, South Korea

Local architectural firm Atmoround wanted Orrrn café not to conflict with the beauty of Jeju Island. Its architecture abstracts an oreum—gentle hills created by the Halla Mountain’s volcanic activity. Inside, a red brick staircase is designed like a vertical landscape, while the walls of the restroom reference Jeju Island’s canola flowers in bloom.

On the first storey, a panorama of glass frames the sea view. Glass tables placed horizontally parallel to the northern sea define a new horizon line inside the building while mimicking the original. Its depth was created by stacking 830 sheets of glass: shimmering, blue and deep like the waters outside.

Like Itami Jun, Pritzker Prize-winner Tadao Ando also designed several buildings on Jeju Island. One of them is the Bonte Museum, opened in 2012. The building, merging old and new forms and features, reflects its contents of traditional Korean crafts as well as the works of artists such as Yayoi Kusama.

The austerity and robustness of the Japanese architect’s trademark concrete walls contrast with the sense of lightness provided by the slim columns holding up a thin concrete roof. The architecture is broken into several forms distributed over the topography to embrace its context. There is also a café where one can gaze at the view of a lake and Sanbangsan Mountain in the distance in between art viewings.

Read more: Hotel Review: What it’s like to spend a night at the Grand Hyatt Jeju, à la Single’s Inferno

Lotte Resort Jeju Art Villas comprises rental villas designed by five international and Korean architectural firms. Poised on the mid-slopes of Hallasan, the 73 villas celebrate art, culture, and architecture.

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s firm KKAA was one of the five; his contribution, paying homage to Jeju Island’s volcanic black rock and its sturdy yet gentle volcanic cones, was created in collaboration with Korea’s DA Group Urban Design & Architecture.

“When I visited Jeju Island for the first time, I was so much inspired by this dark, porous rock, and wanted to translate its soft and round touch into architecture. As a result, the entire house emerged as a round black stone,” says Kuma of the design. To let light come through this “stone”, he placed the rocks on a steel lattice, introducing a feeling of lightness into the interior.

NOW READ

Unearthing the charm of Seoul’s architecture with Korean architect Byoung Cho

The best restaurants in Seoul, South Korea, according to chef Olivia Lee

5 Korean lifestyle shops in Seoul that home design lovers should visit