HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III

A.Y. 2016-2017 2ND Semester

MODULE NO. 3

KOREAN ARCHITECTURE
I. BACKGROUND
INFLUENCE
EFFECTS ON JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
GEOGRAPHY and GEOLOGICAL COMPOSITION
- mountainous land with diverse geology (rocks, granite and other metamorphic)
- consist of a peninsula and islands on the South
- no wide alluvial plains and only 1/5 of the land is arable
- corniferous and mixed forest trees are extensive (Cypress)
CLIMATE
- humid and continental
- pronounced rainy season in summer and relatively dry winters
RELIGION
 SHAMANISM - indigenous religion characterized by the concept that the world of superhuman
being is responsible only to medium, who enter into relation with them through trances
 CONFUCIANISM – introduced from China during the 1st century; exercised a profound influence
on every facet of Korean life
 BUDDHISM – influential among both the common people and the elite
 CHRISTIANITY – suppressed by the authorities

HISTORICAL EVENTS
1. PRE-HISTORIC CULTURES
 PIT HOUSES – with hearths, storage pits and space for working and sleeping
 LOG HOUSES – laying logs on top of one another, interstices between logs were filled with clay to
keep the wind out
 ELEVATED HOUSES – originally storage houses
2. THREE KINGDOMS (3RD – 4TH CENTURY 668)
- SILLA, KOGURYO AND PAEKCHE
- fortress architecture built horizontally and vertically along incline slope
- Buddhist temples having 3 HALLS 1 PAGODA style
- development of pagoda design and construction method
- observatories and royal garden on palaces
- tomb architecture that were monumental in scale and had murals that reflect the architecture of the
specific period
- matured culture of Tang Dynasty in China
3. KORYO 918 – 1392
 TEMPLES – influenced by Tang architecture in China that developed the bracketing systems with
struts
 PAGODAS – a new idea of octagonal pagoda from China made of timber and wood
4. CHOSON 1392 - 1897
 CONFUCIANISM – development of civil service, Confucian schools and academics and Confucian
shrines; exercise practicality, frugality and harmony with nature
5. COLONIAL PERIOD
- Japanese attempted to replace Korean with Japanese architectural tradition and blocked foreign
design movements
6. MODERN PERIOD
- American architecture assumed supremacy
 SPORTS ARCHITECTURE – 1986 during the Asian games where international architects took part on
developments of building design dedicated to house different sports disciplines

II. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

A. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL KOREAN ARCHITECTURE
- nature as the most fundamental influence of architecture
- height of traditional buildings are lower compared to China and Japan and interior volume is smaller
- roof eaves are seen to have big proportions and heavier than that of China and Japan.
- building is to be seen as very strong horizontally rather than vertically
- the characteristics of the spatiality of Korean space is DEPTH caused by the assembled building
composition
- architects took full notice of the surrounding terrain in their effort to create perfect harmony with
nature..

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HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
A.Y. 2016-2017 2ND Semester
- Korean architecture has reflected human scale, imparting a feeling of intimacy to the viewers and
giving the impression of coziness and tidiness
 POONGSU, P’UNGSU – Korean geomancy that illustrates how the built environment is mindful of
geological features in a scientifically rigorous way; reponse to wind, water and soil conditions that
evolved overtime within geomantic practices to develop codified templates for building design,
location, elevation and axis.
 KAN – term used to count number of spaces between columns

B. BUILDING COMPONENTS
1. FOUNDATION - stones were not dressed but laid on the ground as is with irregular
surfaces intact
- KURENGIJIL. A process were the base of the pillar is carved to
match the irregular surface of the cornerstone
2. COLUMN - the middle portion of the column were shaped convex (entasis)
- the corner posts were extended slightly higher in relation to the
others
- post on the periphery where slanted slightly inward.
- all these efforts were made to evoke a feeling of stability and to
achieve aesthetic harmony with the delicate and elegant shape of
the roof and the eave lines in the appearance of the building.
3. BEAM - beams and girders were curved outwards to prevent them form
breaking due to the downward force coming from the roof and
brackets
4. ROOF - sometimes roof overhangs are bigger than the interior floor area
and the area of the roof is bigger than the body of the building
below in elevation.
5. WALLS - non-load bearing wood partitions with paper infillings
6. DOORS and WINDOWS - sliding doors dividing the rooms
- CH’ANGHOJI. A paper whose name literally means paper for doors
and windows; a semi-transparent material that allows diffused light
to pass through; prevents warm air from escaping outside
7. BRACKETS  TAP’O – intercolumnar bracketing style

III. BUILDING TYPES

A. TRADITIONAL HOUSES
 HANOK – a traditional architectural style of Korea. The word “hanok” embraces all types of traditional
architecture including thatched-roof, shingle-roof and tile-roofed houses
 COURTYARD HOUSE PLAN – typical layout of traditional Korean houses; normally consisted of a
courtyard or group of courtyards around which rooms and other spaces were grouped to make the
dwelling complex
 MADANG – a courtyard pattern generated as an appropriate solution to functional, practical,
climatic, social and cultural needs of Korean people

PLAN TYPES OF THE COURTYARD HOUSE PLAN

1. SINGLE LINE OR I-SHAPE  southernmost regions of Korea
 usually inhabited by peasants or servants or was used
for storage since its indoor space is limited
 large windows and anopen wooden-floored area
2. DOUBLE LINE  combination of single-line structure
3. L-SHAPE  common in the central regions of Korea
 less windows compared to that of the southern area
4. SQUARE SHAPE  cold northern regions of Korea
 blocks the flow of cold wind

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRADITIONAL COURTYARD HOUSE PLAN

5. EXTENSION OF THE INTERIOR
DWELLING SPACE
6. BUFFER BETWEEN THE HOUSE
AND THE OUTSIDE
ENVIRONMENT
7. MICRO-CLIMATE CONTROLLERS
 the outdoor space was also used as living space
according to a complex pattern of residence
 the courtyard being a room without a roof, a domain
set aside for the gainful activity of the entire
household that was well adapted to complicated
environmental, practical and socio-cultural situations
 served to shelter the house from the street by reducing
noise and maintaining privacy
 cool breeze blowing into the courtyard during summer

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HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
A.Y. 2016-2017 2ND Semester
and surrounded by interior dwelling during winter
8. A DOMAIN FOR SOCIAL  responding to Confucian ethics, the innermost part of
INTERACTION the house was set aside for the women, the outermost
for the male householder and servants near the entry
gate

TYPICAL SPACES ON TRADITIONAL KOREAN HOUSES

1. ANCHAE – inner room dedicated for women located towards the west of the house
2. SARANGCHAE – space reserved for the head of the family (male); detached building
served as reception area, guestroom and study area
3. KEUN – SARANGBANG – used by the eldest member of the family
4. DAECHEONG – communal area where memorial services, weddings and other
ceremonies are held
5. NUMARU – balcony; primarily used by a male family head as special place to greet and entertain
guests
6. TOENMARU – veranda; narrow wooden porch running alongside the exterior of rooms
7. JEONGJA – porch; usually built in an area with a great view
8. BYEOLDANG – separated house
9. CHODANG – house for unmarried daughters
10. SEODANG – house for unmarried sons
11. GWANGCHAE – warehouse building; used to store various things including the food and grains
12. BU-EOK – kitchen; built lower than the rest of the house

KOREAN VERNACULAR TERMINOLOGIES

FLOOR
ONDOL - floor was finished with thick yellowish oil paper and was usually
found in closed rooms used for sleeping
- were heated by flues that run beneath them from a fire hole in
cooking stove to an exterior chimney vent
MARU - wood and normally used un the main hall
- one side of the maru room was usually open to the outside,
with no walls between its roof-support pillars
WALLS
HANJI - Korean paper
ANGOJIKI - both hinged and sliding door
CHANGHO - lattice door
ROOF (JIBUNG)
GIWA - soil baked roof tiles
CHEOMA - edge of the roof that curved up

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