...Korean architecture seen on the streets varies from luxury villa settings on the hills north from Cheog Wae Dae with tradition inspired walls, through not really typical and difficult to interpret small houses of the 50's, lots of them turned into offices, bars and restaurants by now. More modern buildings which are visibly planned in the space derive from the 1980's. They vary in type and size. Some of them are as low as 4 stories some 10. Most modern apartment complexes are even up to 20 something levels and they really reach the clouds...
What I love Koreans for...
I never really have written about
architecture in Korea before, have I? Maybe about bridge or old
palace, but not about normal people housing.
I am amazed with how well Koreans
design their modern apartment condominiums. I do not know how it was
in the old times after the Korean War, but I will share with you what
modern things I have seen.
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| 1 level businesses |
Korean architecture seen on the streets
varies from luxury villa settings on the hills north from Cheog Wae
Dae with tradition inspired walls, through not really typical and
difficult to interpret small houses of the 50's, lots of them turned
into offices, bars and restaurants by now. More modern buildings
which are visibly planned in the space derive from the 1980's. They
vary in type and size. Some of them are as low as 4 stories some 10.
Most modern apartment complexes are even up to 20 something levels
and they really reach the clouds.
It depends on the architect and size
and price of land wether space between buildings is kept or not. In
Gangnam district where some of most sophisticated apartments are,
people can sometimes watch their neighbours through the window. But,
usually space is kept. Older buildings are placed in irregular way,
fitted wherever there was a spot to build, some place, some tiniest
property. In between these little buildings there are car parks
constructed of few metal pipes and platforms which can fit up to 10
cars one on top of another with help of the lift.
Normally big streets which take car
traffic, subway stations and buses are not inhabited by rich people
at all. They are surrounded by mixture of churches, public buildings,
hospitals, and houses with restaurants and bars or shops fitted on
many levels. Some have student rooms and other poorest private
properties.
Away from central big streets hills
usually start and narrow streets surrounded with brownish mix of
buildings climb up the hill.
Modern setting is regular. Blocks keep
90 degrees toward eachother and sufficient space in between which is
additionally helped by common altitude difference. Huge apartment
condominiums are built on more flat areas, but with the same rule –
there should be enough of light so 90 degrees and several hundred
meters of space in between is kept.
I was lucky to live in my own room
rented from Polish family living on campus in family dormitory of
Seoul National University and this is how I discovered advantages and
disadvantages of Korean modern architecture.
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| Sadang Condominium |
At first Korean apartments have lots of
daylight influx via huge windows. Window usually takes the space of
the whole wall, and is double. It means that every even poorest
apartment has got a balcony.
These balconies are a seperate system.
In most modest setting a door to the apartment is situated on one
huge balcony which serves as a corridor to the apartments. Then
another balcony is attached to the living room and kitchen does not
have any own. It is either hugged to the small corridor or assembled
as a small dark attachment to the living room. These smallest
apartments are usually two room with toilet-shower, corridor-kitchen
and a living room. One of these rooms reminded me of marine vessel
beds, because two sisters fitted there with just their beds one on
top of another and a wardrobe. Ah, there was some 30 cm of space so
they could get in.
Bigger standard has a living room part
where there is a „clear” balcony attached, and „messy”
balcony near the kitchen. „Messy” one is where usually people
keep washing machines, driers and whatever mess they can keep. Some
housewives do kimchi in big barrels, some other still keep chickens
in cages despite municipal ban for several years. Family trash is
also kept there often, as well as vegetable storage etc.
Influence from American middle class
style is that there is a clear common living area and bedrooms rather
small, but not too small, not so tiny as in many European flats.
Inner windows are also rather big, they take sometimes as much as the
whole wall, some other start at the knee hight and reach the cealing.
By design and architecture life of the
whole family focuses in common living room/ kitchen space with
bedrooms being used almost only for sleeping. However adolescent
students who try to get into college also keep their desks and their
own tvs etc.
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| 50's and 60's no style "somethings" now holding businesses |
This division between „messy” and
„clear” space took a root in culture. Traditional houses had
something called „madang” multipurpose room. This is where
families kept all the junk or had small garden, or done kimchi or
kept chickens etc. Since late 1950's balconies in the first built big
apartment complexes had substituted for „madang”. Due course of
time balcony near kitchen by default was used as junk storage and
balcony near living room was rather clean and used as cultural
display – I have seen a lady having her art exhibition over there.
Another thing which took a root in
culture is heating system. It is an expensive way of heating, but
taken straight from ancient history.
Ondol heating system was based on
direct heat transfer from wood smoke to the underside of a thick
masonry floor. It depends on how in which house but even at the
sophisticated Confucian scholar home it was burnt in the hole under
the rocky floor and via system of underside channels transferred
underneath the house. Tradition of sitting on the floor started this
way. After snowfall in winter temperature slowly drops reaching in
January even 30 below zero. One meter above the floor in light wooden
hanok houses it was already cold. Before dawn housewives or servants
used to get up and make sure ondol started burning before any of the
other family members or rulers were awake. First such site was
excavated in North Korea about 1000 B.C.
In modern Korea it means any heating
system which is located in the floor. There is a central thermostate
which gives heat to water pipes in the floor which via radiators give
hot air to the room. When it is on it is usually too hot, when off it
gets cold very quickly, especially during cold Korean winter.
I have mentioned influx of daylight.
Probably some of you know how dark it gets in winter especially on
misty December days. Even in Korea it is a problem. And yet there is
enough sunlight to turn on artificial light really late in the day.
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| Maetan-dong Condominium with visible glass walls |
In some older apartments just like in
Europe there is no elevator. I have once seen really genial way of
moving simmilar to what I have also seen in some Polish blocks with
narrow stairs. Instead of using 6 guys stretching their musles with
some stubborn couch which doesn't wanna get through they just use an
external lift and ...put it via the window.
Downsides... there is one. Most of
modern 아파트
have electronic coded doors with automatic alarm. In Poland I
know it from corporate buildings, public areas etc but commoners
still carry traditional keys to their homes with them. Alarm systems
if any are usually inside.
In Korea it's enough to touch one wrong
button and police arrives or there is an angry neighbour irritated
with a slightly drunk foreigner who again had mistaken herself...or
himself or whoever one is at 3 am after nice time in the pub
Sometimes... there is a blackout.
Noone can get in or out...
...for some hours...
…Until somebody puts electricity
again.
