SPACE December2025 (No. 697)
Bathhouse Iljuk (2024)
DIALOGUE Cho Yoonhee principal, GUBO Architects × Hong Jihak professor, Chungnam National University × Lee Sojin principal, Leeon Architects × Lee Joongwon professor, Sungkyunkwan University × Kim Jeoungeun × Bang Yukyung
Bathhouse Iljuk
Kim Jeoungeun: This FRAME dialogue was planned to examine the recent works of GUBO Architects + Hong Jihak (hereinafter GUBO), exploring the specific characteristics of their projects and their architectural approach, while also discussing their working methods and office management more broadly. Cho Yoonhee (principal, GUBO Architects) and Hong Jihak (professor, Chungnam National University) invited their respective role models, Lee Sojin (principal, Leeon Arhitects) and Lee Joongwon (professor, Sungkyunkwan University), to join this FRAME. We thought it would be valuable to address the questions and unfinished conversation points that arose during the site visits. Let’s begin with an introduction to the Bathhouse Iljuk (2024), which we could not see in person as access to outsiders is restricted.
Cho Yoonhee: Bathhouse Iljuk was conducted as part of a corporate social responsibility project by INNOCEAN, an advertising agency. Bathhouses in rural areas serve as spaces where residents can recover their health and act as important community facilities, yet they are surprisingly prone to safety accidents. For the primary users, older adults, rapid changes in temperature and humidity can lead to cardiovascular incidents. With the aim of preventing ‘heat shock’ and creating a ‘safe bathhouse’, we participated in a remodelling project of an existing bathhouse in Anseong that had been operating for 26 years.
Lee Joongwon: I understand the project involved remodelling a single floor of about 60 pyeong combining the men’s and women’s baths. What specific architectural proposals were made to ensure safety?
Cho Yoonhee: Generally, public bathhouses are divided into changing rooms and bath areas. Both are indoor spaces, but they are often drafty, feeling cool when wet, and moving between the two spaces exposes users to abrupt changes in temperature and humidity. To mitigate this, we proposed a buffer space called the ‘warming-up zone’. This zone gradually increases the temperature as one moves from the corridor to the changing room and from the changing room to the bath, allowing the body to adapt. The changing room, cold bath, hot bath, and sauna were arr...
