Daeheung Pavilion (대흥루, 大興樓) was not built on this site. It was constructed in a classroom 400 kilometers away and later relocated here.
House Building School in Gangwon Province
In 2019, I participated in a hwangto (황토, earthen construction) house-building program in Wonju, Gangwon Province, alongside 15 other participants. The idea was simple: to learn by building a house firsthand.
A full-sized house was too large to be built as a sample in a classroom. So, the group built a pavilion instead — a traditional Korean open-sided structure featuring a roof in the style of a complete house. With its roof, pillars, and floor, it provided a full structural framework on a manageable scale.
When the program ended, the instructors offered to give the pavilion to anyone who wanted it.
I raised my hand, representing all 15 of us.
400 Kilometers South
I covered the material and transportation costs and moved the pavilion from Wonju, Gangwon Province to Daeheung Farm in Boseong, South Jeolla — approximately 400 kilometers south.
The pavilion now stands on the farm. Its roof features dark reddish-brown shingles in the style of traditional Korean houses. It has four wooden pillars and a wooden floor.
The Adjacent Pool
In 2021, while undertaking road paving and house expansion projects on the farm, we created a 10 × 4 metre pool fed by water from the Daeheung Spring located above. The front section extends underneath the pavilion’s floor, providing cover and shade, while the rest is open to the sky.
The original plan was for fish. It didn’t work out as planned. The fish quickly clouded the water, and the open surface — full of sunlight and lacking shade — was covered in algae faster than the spring water could keep it clear.
So, the fish left. Instead, the pool became a summer swimming pool. It’s a highlight on the farm during July and August.
The Same Logic
I spent money to bring the classroom sample home because it was real — something I had built with my own hands among a group of learners — and anything real is worth relocating.
The fish pond became a swimming pool because that’s what the family actually needed.
That logic applies to everything: from the spring water and the farm to the app. Build it yourself. If the plan fails, adapt. Keep what works.