Korean Architecture,,

KOREAN ARCHITECTUR

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ANCIENT ARCHITECTURENeolithic remains are relatively abundant in Korea and some remains can be traced back to the fifth millennium B.C. according to archaeological verification. Korean neolithic culture is classified into two different kinds in terms of the potteries which are found with artifacts at remain sites. The early culture is characterized by the comb-pattern pottery and then the later culture is by the burnished plain pottery with bronze making techniques which started around the seventh century B. C.

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Comb-pattern pottery

Burnished Plain Pottery

UNITED SILLA ARCHITECTUREAfter the unification of the Korean peninsula into the kingdom of United Silla, Korean institutions were radically transformed. United Silla absorbed the fully matured culture of the T'ang dynasty in China, and at the same time developed a unique cultural identity. New Buddhist sects were introduced from the T'ang and Buddhist art flourished. It was a great period of peace and cultural advancement in all helds of the arts.

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Architecture flourished in the royal capital of Kyongju, though almost all traces of the former glory have vanished at the present time. The city with nearly a million inhabitants at her peak was strategically located at the junction of two rivers and three mountains encircling a fertile basin of about five by seven miles in area. The urban area of the city was developed and expanded in three stages. In the second stage, when Hwangyong Temple was located in the center, the region was developed into the grid network of road patterns with wide streets.

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One of the Palace sites is marked by the artificial lake of Anna with stone works of retaining walls delineating the former building location. The residential district of the nobles in the city was composed of great houses which were constructed conforming to the the building code that granted privileges to the nobles, but forbidden to the commoners. Tiles from many ruins of the buildings were found everywhere. Of those that are still intact, show elegant and graceful design.

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Stone works of retaining wallLake of Anna

The plans of Buddhist temples were characterized by two pagodas in front of the central main hall in a symmetrical layout on the north-south axis with other buildings.

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Pulguk Temple, built on a stone platform at the foothill of Mt. Toham near Kyongju, is the oldest existing temple in Korea. The temple was first founded early in the sixth century and was entirely rebuilt and enlarged in 752. The original platform and foundations have remained intact to the present, but the existing wooden buildings were reconstructed during the Choson dynasty.

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Rock cave shrines are not rare in Asia, but few of these shrines and sculptures reveal such high level of artistry. None are as religiously and artistically complete in overall design as those at Sokkuram.

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KORYO ARCHITECTUREFollowing the cultural tradition of United Silla, the art and architecture of Koryo was developed under fruitfull ties with the contemporary culture of the Sung and the Liao in China. As the capital city of Songdo (Kaesong) was established in the mountainous area of central Korea, natural landscape requirements led to the nonaxial arrangement of the built-up area in the entire city. The palace and temples in Songdo clustered along the flanks of Mt. Songak and the city were enclosed by a meandering irregular city wall.

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CHOSON ARCHITECTUREIn the early period, The architecture developed as a succession from the cultural inheritance of the previous dynasty with the new political guiding principles of Confucianism, that took the place of Buddhism. Through the influence of Confucianism, a refined aristocratic taste of the previous era was replaced by the characteristics of unsophisticated, simple and humble beauty with the qualities of commonness and steadiness. The intercolumnar bracket set system was used in building the most impor-tant edifice on the premises. The columnar bracket set system and the eclectic bracket system, which consists of architectural elements from both columnar and intercolumnar systems, were also used for temples and other important buildings.

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ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTIC

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ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

Korean traditional architecture is characterized by its harmony with nature. It has developed through the assimilation of various cultural elements learned from foreign countries, or better learned from their human brethren, Since antiquity Koreans have developed a special inclination towards nature, adapting themselves to the environment, interacting with the changing tide of human thought and ideologies in the open arena of human civilization.


Harmony with Nature


Koreans have held the belief that the heavenly world is located in the high blue sky, representing the blissfully brilliant and eternal utopia. According to such thinking In regard to the world and the universe and because of their serene and cozy natural environment, Koreans have formulated their own traditional architecture, Such characteristics are rustic, yet they gracefully harmonized with the surrounding nature.

Since the introduction of the Chinese culture of the Han Dynasty the basic system of wooden building coincidentally blended with other indigenous architectural details. Korean architecture has also been affected by a number of Oriental conceptual thoughts: yin and yang, interpretation of the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and eartframes has been passed down to recent years, Such structures h), geomancy, Taoism and Confucianism either directly or indirectly.



Wooden Building

INTRODUCTION

After the unification of the Three Kingdoms by the Silla Dynasty in 668, the development of Korean architecture outgrew its previous rustic simplicity. Under the cultural influence of the Tang Dynasty of China, Koreans fulfilled their historical task of assimilating the influx of foreign culture with indigenous and innate aspirations


L. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES-The most serious problem Korea faced in the seventeenth century was the desperate fiscal situation caused by the Japanese invasion.-Preciously there had been a system of government supported craftsmen, by them handicraft items were produced to meet the needs of the royal court and the government.

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS-The enactment of the Taedong-pop made the activities of private merchants more evident in Seoul, then later throughout the country. - Park Che-ga (l750- l805) urged the development of commerce and technology which had been adopted by the Ch'ing dynasty of China following the western models. Since Korea's border with China was to the north, this group of scholars was called the School of North-ern Learning, and Park wrote a book entitled "Discourse on North-ern Learning (Puk-hah-ui), The main issues of the book were the adoption of western technology and the promotion of commerce. His assertions promoted the breakdown of the prevailing attitude of yang-ban (the two upper classes of old Korea) that despised com-merce and craftsmanship.


2. PRACTIAL LEARNING AND WESTERN CIVILIZATIONTransmission of western civilization and culture to Korea was initiated at the end of the sixteenth century by China. At first, a Korean envoy to the Chinese Court returned home with a world map of Europe and the "True Principles of Catholicism" (Ch'onju-sirui) witten by Matteo Ricci, Then the Sirhak (Practical Learning for practical utilization and public welfare) thinker Yi Su-gwang (1563- 1628) took an interest in the new religion. He made references to Ricci's writings in his book, Chibong-Yusol. Later scholars such as Yi Ik (1681-1788) and An Chong-bok(1712-1791)were also curious about Catholicism and discussed it in their writings. Moreover, the leading scholar Ch'ong Yag-yong (1762-l836) converted to Christianity

The Sirhak scholars defied empty formalism and ritual trivialities. Yoon Hyu (16I7-1680) criticized the formalism of Chu Hsi and stated that even neo- Confucianism might not deserve to be fellowed blindly without proper evaluation, Pak Se-dang (1629-1703) held the same opinion and set out to impartially examine all classic doctrines. He wrote a commentary on Taoism which was deprecated by Confucianists of his time.


3. INFLUENCE OF TAOISM-Since ancient times, there was the Tao of Mystery (Hyunmyo-chi-Tao) in Korea, also called the Tao of National Immortals (Kuksun-Tao) or the Tao of Elegancy (Pungryu-Tao). It's ideologies greatly influenced and enlightened the people. Actually, this ancient Tao had been included in all of the fun-damental principles of the three major religions in Korea, Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.



ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNKorean architecture has reflected the human scale, imparting a feeling of intimacy to its viewers. Few traditional Korean buildings are grand in size, Rather, they give an impression of coziness and tidiness, and are far from being overpowering. In architectural design, Korean architects took full notice of the surrounding terrain in their efforts to create harmony with nature


No Korean building was designed to reflect confrontation with the natural environment, Both in design and engineering, artificial contrivances were subdued in favor of highlighting the beauty of nature. Care was taken to keep natural qualities intact in building materials. Korean artisans relied more on the workings of nature than on their own craft, exerting less personal ingenuity in favour of allowing greater room for the nature of the material to express itself. As a result, Korean architecture gives an impression of liberal and carefree simplicity.


In order to create visual stability and elegance of form several means were contrived. Columns were designed with entasis. The Columns on the periphery slanted slightly inward. The tops of the corner posts extended slightly higher in relation to others. And the delicate eave lines made massive roof acquire an elegant shape. A variety of deco-rations and colors were also used in Korean tradi-tion architecture.

Eaves

The characteristics of decoration in Korean architecture might be considered to lie between the two, maintaining the beauty of moderation in use of color and ornament.



The primary aesthetic characteristics of traditional Korean architecture may be defined by elegant, moderate decoration and humlble openness in design. The moderate use of color might have deceived from the country's serene landscape. The quality of humble openness must have grown out of the traditional tendency of Korean people to adapt themselves to nature.


BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONThe basic characteristics of traditional building construction were indebted to Chinese architecrure. The main parts of a building consisted of a raised platform made of stone, a timber post-and-lintel skeleton and a heavy pitched roof with overhung eaves. All of the building materials were utilized with an appreciative eye to respect the natural qualities of each material. The constrcuction method which permits freedom fo walling and fenestration by a simple adjustment of the proportion between the wall and the openings, renders a building practical and comfortable in any climate.

heavy pitched roof with overhung eaves


The speciaI features of this bulilding construction are the bracket sets which consist of a number of small supporting blocks called the 'so-ro'(toufuChinese) and bracket anns calleds the 'po' (kung in Chinese). The function of the bracket sets is to transfer the loads from the horizontal mem-bers above to the vertical members of the columns below. There are two kinds of bracket sets, namely columnar bracket sets and intercolumnar bracket sets.


The columnar bracket set system, called 'Chusimpo-sik', provides bracket sets only on the top of the columns. The intercolumnar bracket set system called 'Tapo-sik', provides one or more intercolumnar bracket sets above the lintel between two colunuls as wel as on the top of each column. The former is the older system. Since the fourteenth century, the intercolurnnar bracket system was widely used for important main buildings of the royal palaces, Buddist temples, and Confucian shrines in Korea.


In the intercolumnar bracket set system, a plate calleds the 'pyung-bang' which rests on the lintel and forms a T-shaped cross section was provided to support the intercolumnar bracket sets between columns. The number of 'chul-moti' (t'iao in Chinese), the upward projection or tier of bracket sets facing outward, was increased usually up to three tiers according to the size of building. Larger buildings had more tiers inside than out

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICSThe capital or principal bearing blocks called 'chu-du'

(zuo-tou in Chinese) and the small bearing blocks, so-ro, had slanting surfaces on the lower half of each side. The bracket arms, parallel to the lintels, were cut vertically at fue upper parts of the ends, while the lower parts were convex fu shape. The bracket arms extruding at right angles to the facade of fue building were piled up to two or three tiers. The top arm, cllaed 'ik-kong', had an wing-shaped end. The other two or three arms, below the top arm, caled 'chae-kong', had slanted bracket arms with the end turned upward slightly.


In palaces and temples, the main buildings were built according to such inter-columnar bracket sets, while secondary buildings were built with the ik-kong system with simplified bracket arnls and supporting blocks, Thus, a MerarcMcal order of the architectural space in the complex was held. All buildings in the in quarters of palaces were built according to fe-hong system.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICSWith regard to the woodworking of columns,

beams and rafters, carpenters always respected the natural quality and shape of the original wood and attempted to utilize the most natural features of the material. They never placed the wood upside down. The method of suface finishing in all building ma-terials permanently rendered the quality of rustic and humbleness.


SITE PLANNING AND REAR GAR-DEN-Since the terrain of the site was build fogs in the palace were arranged to fit the natural contour. As result, site planning of the palace display irregu-lar and asymmetrical features

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICSIt is very unique that the main gate of

Tonwha-mun is located in the southwest corner of the site, with much deviation from the axis of the Throne Hall. Passing through the gate, the main road runs about 70 meters to one of the oldest stone bridges in Korea, Kumchun-kyo. This bridge, built fu 1411, possesses a unique characteristic in its stone work and has been designated as a national treasure.


Crossing the bridge and moving l00 meters to the east, Throne Hal, Injong-jon, appears on the left side. Injong-mun, the entrance gate to the royal courtyard in front of the Throne Hall, is oriented toward the south and possesses a trapezoidal front yard. The spatious monumental royal courtyard is surrounded by corridors. Inside of the entrance gate this enclosed space is dominated by Throne Hall.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS To the east of The Throne Hall within a vicinity, a smaler audience

chamber called Sonjong-jon is located with its smaller front court-yard. It is the only pal ace building roofed with blue-glazed tiles. The building area which includes Inj ong-jon and Sonjong-jon is the central part of the palace, which is labeled as the outer royal quarter. The buildings of the inner royal quarter, where the king and queen resided, are located to h e northeast of Throne Hall. Further east, a beautiful pavilion called the Sungwha-ru and the famous royal residence of the last queen of Korea, Nakson-jae, are located. Toward the north of the palace is a path running west of Sungwha-ru. Visitors can approach the Rear Garden through a densely wooded area by this path.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICSARCHITECTURE OF INJEONG-JON

l . Chronicle and Function of the Building

Ch'angdok Palace was first built as a detached palace in 1405, and was completely burnt down during the Japanese invasion of 1592. lt was magnificently re-built in 1609 and was used as the principal palace for 258 years until the construction of Kyongbok Palace in 1867.


Injeong-jon, or the Throne Hall, is the main building of the palace. The extant building was reconstructed in l804. According to the record of the reconstruction works, "lnjong-jon-Kunyong-Togam-Uikwei", the building was completely burnt down a second time at the end of 1803. Immediately after the accident a project was undertaken to restore the building as before.


Injong-jon and the royal courtyard were used as ceremonial space for the enthronement of kings and as the audience hall for foreign delegates and royal subject. The space was also utilized for celebrations and banquets on national holidays such as the New Year's Day, the Autumn Full moon Day, royal birthdays and so on. On these occasions the events were held on such a large and extensive scale that the activity area used to be extended to include the outdoor space of the royal courtyards.


2. Architectural ChatacteristicsThe platform of Injong-jon consists of a two layered stone terrace with central stairways in front and on both sides, but with no balustrades provided on each terrace. The stairways located in front of the terraces flank a central carved stone ramp. The king used to be carried on the royal sedan chair over the central ramp by the attendants up the stairs

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS The dimensions of plan of the hall are 81 feet long, 61 feet deep, having

five bays in front and four bays on both side with l8 outer columns and 8 inner long columns. The building has double storied roofs and the inner central space of three bays by two bays is open up to the second story. It renders a spatial qua lity of grandeur in the extemal appearance of the building and provtides a sublime internal atmosphere for the inner space of the royal Throne Hall. On a diagonal five feet from the center of comer column of the buililding hip long columns are located. The hip beams of the lower story roof are inserted into the flank of the hip long colunmns. Outer columns of the upper story are lined with the hip long columns and rest on the beams which are supported the one end by the outer columns of the lower story and the other end inserted into the flank of the inner long columns.


The space dominated by Injong-jon, the climax of an absolute hierarchical order, renders such a dramatic and magnificent effect that the dignity of the dynasty can be strongly felt. With special visual design, the Throne Hall, as the focus of the building complex, provides an outstanding and magnificent quality of architectural space.


KOREAN TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTUREThey say that the curved line of the roof and eaves and their overlapped composition is the point of the beauty of Korean traditional architecture. At a long distance view of the temples and villages, one can see the roof shapes composed together like a flock. It looks stronger than the shape of buildings. Roof was very important factor to make building shape for Korean people.

Compare to the other oriental countries-China and Japan, main structure materials and structural techniques are similar. The different ones from the two countries are the height of the vertical walls and the volume of the interior space. In China and Japan, the height of the building is high enough to consider the wall as vertical plane. And in fact there are lots of multiple storied buildings which has the roof only at the top of the floor.


Korean traditional buildings, the height is lower than the others. And the interior volume is poor and small. So roof and eaves are seen to have big proportion and heavier than the others. Stretched roof overhang areas sometimes bigger than the interior floor area. The area of the roof is bigger than the body of the building below in elevation. At oblique view, the length of the corner eave is seen longer than the height of the column.


It makes the building to be seen as very strong horizontality rather than vertical. So the feeling of the Korean traditional architecture is strong horizontality and spatiality caused by the roof.


The spatiality is caused not only by the roof but also by the building composition assembled together around the "Madang". The characteristics of the spatiality of the Korean space is "Depth" caused by the assembled building composition.

Such factors -exaggerated roof shape, assembled building group around the Madang, deformed lay out oder makes the space feeling as "Depth".

"Depth" perception does not come from the drawings on the paper, it is visual perception comes from the site at each visual scene.


That is the characteristics of Korean traditional architectural space distinguished from the Chinese and Japanese traditional architectural space


10 LANDMARKS IN SOUTH KOREA

CHANGDEOKGUNG PALACE

one of the five grand palaces of Joseon-era Seoul. Literally meaning “Palace of Prospering Virtue”, the complex is comprised of 13 buildings and 28 pavilions.Â Changdeokgung is at its most beautiful during the fall, when leaves turn colorful and start to fall in a gentle, gradual shower.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS AND MAGNOLIA TREES

The Palace itself is surrounded by so many Cherry Blossom and Magnolia Trees that you cannot help but admire the beauty of it all. This place is so breathtakingly beautiful that so many ladies including Korean brides and teenage girls choose to have their pictorials at the Changdeok Palace. Some painting and art classes are also held here.

GEUMCHEONGYO â€“ This is a stone bridge. It is also the oldest existing stone bridge in Seoul. You will be fascinated with the stone statues that line this bridge.

DONHWAMUN GATE â€“ This is the main gate of the Changdeokgung. It is also considered the oldest palace main gate in Korea.

INJEONGMUN AND INJEONGJEON â€“ These gates were the venues for the coronation of past Korean Kings and other receptions for the royal families.

SEONJEONGJEON â€“ It is the only existing palace that has been built using blue tiles. It is referred to as the Kingâ€™s â€œside roomâ€ where meetings �with government officials are held.

HeeJeongdang â€“ Another â€œside roomâ€ of the King but with �an attached bed chamber.

NAKSEONJAE â€“ The Nakseonjae shows wonderfulsteps with flowers.

NAEUIWON â€“ This is more popularly referred to as the Inner Medical Office. It is also referred to as Naeguk which is a place where illnesses of the King and the rest of the Royal Family are cured

BULROMUN â€“ The Bulromun Gate was made of a single rock and is known to promote good heald and long life of the

BUYONGJI AND BUYONGJEONG â€“ Buyongi, which means pond, is characterized by a square pond that is believed by locals to be representing the heavens

GIOHEON AND UIDUHAP â€“ The Gioheon and the Uiduhap served as reading place for the Crown Prince Hyomyeong.

YOUNGYEONGDANG AND SEONHYANGJAE â€“ One is shaped like a private house filled with more than a hun dred toes. The second one served as a study.

AERYEONJI AND AERYONJEONG â€“ The pond and the pavilion that were build in 1692. The pavilion was named Aeryonjeong which means â€œlove for lotus flower.â€ �

GEUMHOMUN â€“ This is the west gate.

YOUNGHWADANG â€“ This is by far the oldest building within the Changdeok complex. This served as the rest place of Royal Families.

N Seoul Tower – a 236.7-meter communications tower built on top of a mountain in Seoul, enabling it to reach an elevation of 236.7 meters above sea level. The tower features 4 observation decks, allowing visitors to see much of the surrounding city for a fee. The 4th and highest deck is a revolving restaurant which makes a complete rotation every 48 minutes. Visitors must take a cable car up the mountain to be able to climb the tower. A cafÃ© and gift shop are also available. The N Tower is especially endearing to couples due to one of its balconies, where they can hang locks with romantic messages and throw away the key, symbolizing the permanence of their love for one another

http://blog.asiahotels.com/mountainous-seoul/

NAMDAEMUN GATE - this historic structure was once part of an ancient city wall. The gate, also called “the Great Southern Gate”, suffered major damage from a fire back in 2008. The site is currently full of ongoing construction. Nearby Namdaemun Market acts as the wholesale center for South Korea, where gift items, accessories, textile, appliances and other items are for sale.

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ADMIRAL YI-SUN SHIN STATUE – a monument to the 16th century Korean maritime hero who designed the turtle boat known as geobukseon, used in combating Japanese naval vessels during his time. The statue presides over Gwanghwamun Square along Sejongno Boulevard. A sunken plaza is being constructed under a water fountain in front of the statue, connecting the subway station and a ground-level plaza.

63 BUILDING - this 249-meter building is the 3rd tallest in South Korea. 63 refers to the total number of floors: 60 are above-ground while 3 are devoted to basement levels. 63 Building has an IMAX theater, an aquarium, convention center, banquet hall, lots of stores, and an observation deck called the 63 Golden Tower. The building is located at the southern tip of Yeouido Park, a long and narrow island provided with nature areas, bike paths, and walking trails.

SONGJEONG BEACH â€“ Located in Pusan, this 2-kilometer long beach is made up of fine sand and weathered seashells. Songjeong is the most northerly of Pusanâ€™s beaches, and is open every year between July 1st to August 31st. Although it is not as commercialized asHaeundae or Gwangalli Beach, it also does not possess the same level of facilities.

http://www.asiahotels.com/hl/Busan-South_Korea.asp

JONGMYO SHRINE â€“ the oldest and most authentic of the Confucian royal shrines, dedicated to the memorial services of dead kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty. Jongmyo is listed among UNESCOâ€™s World Heritage sites and is also the longest Korean building of traditional design. The south entrance gate was reserved for spirits, the east gate was for the king, and the west gate was for performers of the sacred ritual.

BONGEUNSA TEMPLE – just north of COEX Mall and Convention Center, this Buddhist temple contains a number of buildings and statues. Bongeunsa is one of Koreaâ€™s major temples, and has undergone many repairs and reconstruction. The complex also hasÂ a â€œTemple Stay Programâ€ wherein visitors can �experience the life of a monk for a few hours.

http://blog.asiahotels.com/shopping-in-seoul/coex-mall/

CHONGDONG THEATER â€“ near Deoksugung Palace is this small, modern-style building which houses the performance hall at the basement to shield theater-goers from the cold winter. The stage itself is very big in proportion to the hall, making the use of microphones unnecessary. Concerts in Chongdong tend to highlight the best of Korean music and arts, making it ideal for foreigners who do not have enough time to experience the length and breadth of traditional music.

Mount Pukhansan – a mass of granite near Seoul, a favorite nature trail for Koreans who wish to escape the stresses of urban life. Those who get to climb up Baekundae, its tallest peak, is treated to a 360-degree view of the capital. Historic Pukhan Fortress is within this area, as well as many Buddhist temples.

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Korean Architecture,,