“First I saw the mountains in the painting.

Then I saw the painting in the mountains.” Chinese proverb

“...It was a late afternoon in Busan, with typically mild spring temperatures and a gentle ocean breeze. After a relatively short but steep hike, we waited for an hour to see the sunlight soften. And what a treat it was. As the sun started its descent to the horizon, the leaves of the trees turned golden, and shadows danced to the sound of silence. There was no thought of yesterday or tomorrow – just a soothing flow of fleeting moments. All that is left now is a series of paintings, imprinted in our memories...”
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The city of Busan dwells in between its magnificent mountains promontory to the sea, a sea of mountains, forming strategic points of contact with the eastern coast, creating magical and wild intersections with the water and the city center, making the land in love with the spirit of the sea, and most likely whispering the meanings of life to our waving-off ears from the hassle of the weary urban life. The city of Busan, and its marvelous nature, protected with perseverance, and strength, stands at crucial times, help develop stronger survival skills for a more resilient city for its residents, and now it is time to use this power to create a symbolic, harmonious, and caring relationship with nature and the city; the downtown area, and the beaches, the mountains, and the sea. And there is no better way of doing that, by honoring the sea life and land life, creating an extraordinary connection, an unbreakable bond with waves and wind.

it is not always easy to grasp the spirit of a city at a glance even you are living full, seizing the day, as a happy local tourist, and even then, you might not be that lucky, and again, you might just be lucky enough to come up to a proverb and follow it to a sea of mountains, in which then you might instinctively find your way to the mountains of sea.

a new form of light is born in the outskirts of Busan mountains that merge with the sea, as silver waves meet the setting sun of the East Sea, incredible scenery of a coral, blush, flaming sky takes place, a visual feast to be eternalized not only in minds but also in the eyes of the beholder, so we re-framed this memory to live happily ever after.

• how can we gift an old glass production factory site with a new life, leveraging the identity of the surrounding natural landscape to the center of its regeneration strategy?

as high-rise buildings have their charm, especially now with the pandemics, to maintain our physical and mental resilience. we need more life outside both in private and public spaces. the mountainous blocks gather around a central courtyard, forming an inner and outer loop of activities around a big heart with a wavy flow to lengthen and vary the potential routes, creating unexpected interactions. as public shopping or office elevated streets turn into your personal and communal terraces, you get one of the best views of the day, whether you are facing the mountains or the sea. you are halfway through all the terraces and there are still some friends out there who are waiting for exciting encounters. there is always something new to explore, today and every day, at least for the upcoming decade.

the mountainous terrain of the city merging with the rough wavy coasts shape the new grounds as a continuum of the topography transitioning from land to sea, from earth to water, from green to blue, replacing mountains and waves within, letting them pass through and invigorate the daily life of this thriving community

One of the very unique locations of S.Korea, Busan dwelling on a unique natural topography, stranding down to the ocean, accommodates a moderate climate that welcomes easy open space interaction that is shaping the daily life and the culture of the territory. “MoS” takes natural landscape inside the living spaces to generate a balanced and ecological environment between nature and the residents, also giving the opportunity to directly get in touch with nature either through gardening or horticulture therapy, which most cities and communities have lost the connection for long with very fewer options. New topography will trigger a new community that is much more open, connected, and creative with all the positive potentials of the space, which harbors the power of change; to change into our better selves with healthier lifestyles.

 'mountains of sea' provides a transition from the mountains, the topography of the crust, into the waves, the topography of the sea, generating a hybrid tide of mother nature, going back and forth, up and down!