Owl House, South Korea
In January 2017, the South Korean architect Moon Hoon unveiled his new housing block in the city of Busan, designed to resemble an owl.
At 16 m in height, the four-storey Busan Times building incorporates a concrete frame that extends from a large street-facing window to represent the angular face of an owl, while two openings at either sides represent eyes, which are illuminated at night.
The neck and head of the bird are represented by a series of setbacks cut into the building, creating two single-storey flats on the first floor and a smaller two-storey flat stacked above to one side. Meanwhile, a vertical block with a skylight contained within a sliced corner represents the bird’s wing, protruding from the building’s side and housing the main staircase.
Moon Hoon intended the exposed concrete building to be “full of quirks and fun” for the occupant family’s child. Their room is arranged on a split level, with a net railing protecting the mezzanine bedroom. Plenty of windows, including a small circular skylight above the bed, provide views over the city.
At the lowest level of the apartment, doors slide open onto a garden terrace established on top of a further setback. Running around the western side of the building is a ribbon of glazing, while faceted glass walls beneath create a covered entrance.
Photographs © Shin Kyungsub.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
ECA, JIB and JTL back Fabian Society call to invest in skills for a stronger built environment workforce.
Women's Contributions to the Built Environment.
Calls for the delayed Circular Economy Strategy
Over 50 leading businesses, trade associations and professional bodies, including CIAT, and UKGBC sign open letter.
The future workforce: culture change and skill
Under the spotlight at UK Construction Week London.
A landmark moment for postmodern heritage.
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.