Buildings shaped like animals aren?t generally known for their subtlety. More often than not, they?re gaudy and literal, serving as must-photograph stops along a tourist?s list of weird roadside attractions. But when architecture takes on abstract forms that merely suggest the body or head of a certain creature, maintaining some sense of aesthetic direction, things get a lot more interesting.
The abstract owl gazing out over the hills of Busan, South Korea isn?t meant to be kitschy. The client who commissioned famed Korean architect Moon Hoon to design the dwelling works in the security industry and wanted his home to reflect a sense of protectiveness and defensiveness. At the same time, the interior had to be full of fun spaces for his young child. Hoon responded with a vision of a home that ?manifests their hidden identity? as superheroes in the form of watchful owls, its head turned to take in the most rewarding views. Private outdoor spaces are tucked behind the owl?s blocky wings, and a dramatic entryway made of faceted glass separates the space beneath its “feet.” Each and every pane of glass is strategically positioned to gaze out onto the grassy hills in the distance while avoiding the intruding eyes of strangers. In Hoon?s rendering, the home maintains its defensive stance even as strange, towering new structures spring up all around it, reflecting an expectation of continued development in the area.

The various voids and projections of the structure ...