Designed by Prime Architecture, The Gatehouse is home to a family-run Shabu Shabu restaurant in Siheung-Si, near Seoul. The form of the building is taken from an existing disused natural water well on site.

The water well is also incorporated into the functionality, where it is used to provide water throughout the building, as well as irrigation for the restaurants on site micro-farm.
Ground Floor Plan
The Clients grew up near the site and recall their family using the natural well during their childhood. After spending most of their working lives in Seoul their dream was to move back and create a restaurant which provided the local community with homegrown produce.

Historically, the natural water well was used by the locals and served as a central meeting point for the community, but became disused once running water was provided in years past.
With this in mind, the design approach was to re-establish the well by using it as an aesthetic cue and also to incorporate it in a practical sense.
Diagram
The Gatehouse building is formed with three masses. These are positioned carefully into the landscape and within the retaining walls which frame the sites sloping topography.

The lower volume in closest proximity to the water well is a glass transparent lightweight box, which conveys water. The two solid concrete volumes take vessel-like forms. The first one provides the ?serviced area? and is finished in timber board exposed concrete. This volume is where customers are serv...