Project Name: Rosemary Cafe

Location: Seongnam City, South Korea

Design Team: Chiasmus Partners

Total Floor Area: 570 m²

Completion: 2024

Photography: Namsun Lee

Feature:

Project - Nestled beside the Daewang Reservoir in Seongnam, South Korea, the Rose Mary Cafe by Chiasmus Partners emerges as a poetic architectural statement that dissolves boundaries between built form and natural landscape. Completed in 2024, this 570-square-meter project comprises two distinct buildings ingeniously connected by a central staircase that functions as both physical and conceptual bridge.

The cafe's most striking feature is its DNA-like spiral structure that organically connects four interior spaces across two floors, plus rooftop areas. This innovative spatial organization creates a continuous flow between the legally separated buildings, resulting in six interconnected zones that each frame distinctive views of the surrounding environment.

Chiasmus Partners, led by architects Hyunho Lee, Chika Nomura, and James Wei Ke, have masterfully employed curved geometries throughout the design. The facade's sweeping curves maximize exposure to the panoramic vistas of Daewang Reservoir and the forested Inreungsan Mountain backdrop. These curves continue seamlessly from exterior to interior, creating pavilion-like spaces that appear to float within the landscape.

The architectural envelope features three layers of curved balconies stacked vertically, complemented by crystal glass curtain walls that reflect the transparent qualities of water and evoke the layered fog that often shrouds the surrounding mountains. This material strategy creates a constantly changing dialogue between the building and its setting as light conditions shift throughout the day.

Inside, curved ceilings mirror the exterior's fluid forms, while columns appear to flow downward from above, creating a cohesive spatial experience. By maintaining material continuity between inside and out, the architects have achieved a sense of singular, unified space despite the building's complex organization.

Conceived as a leisure destination where visitors can experience nature from an elevated perspective, Rose Mary Cafe strips away unnecessary functional elements to create contemplative spaces that prioritize the surrounding landscape. The result is an architectural pavilion that serves as both frame and canvas for experiencing the natural beauty of its setting.

Design Team - Chiasmus Partners was founded in New York in 2005, with current offices in Seoul and Beijing. This international architectural firm is led by three principal partners: Hyunho Lee, Chika Nomura, and James Wei Ke, with a design team that includes talented professionals such as Yeongwoo Son and Seongyeol Lee.

The firm focuses on various types of architectural projects, encompassing cultural facilities, educational institutions, commercial developments, and residential projects. Their representative works include the Kyunghee University Campus Masterplan (Space21), the IFEZ Arts Center in Incheon, and numerous award-winning residential projects.

Hyunho Lee is qualified with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and currently serves as the Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Hongik University, while being a partner at Chiasmus Partners since 2006. Chika Nomura holds Japanese architectural qualifications and has been a partner at Chiasmus Partners since 2017, also serving as an adjunct professor at Hongik University's College of Architecture and Urban Planning. James Wei Ke has been a partner at Chiasmus Partners since 2006 and previously worked as a senior designer at Atelier FCJZ in Beijing.

Chiasmus's design methodology is built on rigorous investigation of each site's inherent qualities, resulting in architectural solutions where form and content become inseparable expressions of function and meaning. The firm has received numerous honors, including the 2018 Architecture Master Prize, the 2018 World Architecture Award, and nomination for the 2022 Dezeen Award.

They believe in the magical ability of architecture to preserve, transform, and intensify the essential qualities of places and human experience. Their work resonates with both contemporary design discourse and timeless architectural principles.