This project begins with the recognition of the intrinsic value embedded in rural landscapes. While the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) focused on modernization and development during its rural improvement efforts, the contemporary approach to enhancing rural environments must instead prioritize the preservation and amplification of their inherent qualities. Today, however, rural landscapes are increasingly filled with residual elements displaced from urban areas, bearing little relation to the lives of local residents. Simultaneously, the decline in population and deterioration of existing housing threaten the very essence of rurality.

The project site is located in Daejang Village, Bucheon, situated within the expansive Gimpo Plain that stretches between Seoul and Bucheon. This village plays a significant role in supplying rice to the greater Seoul metropolitan area. Despite this, the area is characterized by a disorderly mix of outdated rural houses from the 1970s and 1980s that fail to meet current insulation standards, as well as warehouses, storage yards, and scattered residential structures—none of which reflect the identity of a rural landscape. In response to these conditions, the project proposes a strategy to improve substandard residential environments while enhancing the sustainability of rural life for local residents—ultimately restoring the village's rural character.

The core of the project lies in a rural regeneration framework based on the reuse of agricultural by-products. The proposed architectural intervention comprises programs that support agricultural sustainability and facilitate recycling processes. By-products such as rice straw and husks are processed on-site into insulation blocks. These blocks are specifically designed in size and weight to accommodate the aging local population. Residents are encouraged to voluntarily participate in upgrading their own homes using these materials, fostering community involvement in the transformation process.

Through such collective actions, the village gradually adopts a cohesive visual identity, and its rural housing stock is upgraded to meet contemporary thermal performance standards. This cycle of resource reuse—initiated by local needs—not only improves the built environment but also reduces carbon emissions and generates communal practices that bind the village together. Moreover, the revitalized rural landscape is envisioned to evolve into a potential resource for tourism, introducing new programs and possibilities for the community’s future.