Traditional Korean houses are called Hanok. They have remained largely unchanged from the Three Kingdoms period through the Joseon Dynasty from 1392-1910. Hanok have an ondol floor heating system where hot air from a fireplace passes through underground flues to heat the stone floor. Upper class houses had tiled roofs while lower class houses used thatch. Major Korean palaces included Gyeongbok Palace and four others in Seoul. Temples were also important architectural works located for scenic views. The natural environment was highly valued in Korean architecture.

1. Traditional Korean Houses and
Floor heating system
Presenter: IBRAR
PhD Candidate
Korea Advance Institute Of Science and Technology (ITTP- KAIST)

2. Korean Houses
 Traditional Korean houses remained
relatively unchanged from the Three
Kingdoms period through the late
Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
• The traditional Korean house is
called “Hanok - 한옥 ".

3. Two major styles
1. Ancient Korean architecture
can be classified into two
major styles:
i. Palaces and temples
ii. Houses of common people
2. The houses of common people
are called “Hanok. The style
and structure of Hanok may
vary depending on their
location in Korea.

4. Major Characteristics of Korean
Architecture
1. The natural environment was always
regarded as an element of supreme
importance in Korean architecture
2. Korean did not consider a place good
enough for a building unless it
commanded an appropriate view of
"mountains and water."
3. Numerous Buddhist temples across the
country were located in mountains
noted for their scenic beauty, and their
structures were carefully arranged

5. Houses for Lower class
Choga jip (초가집) Nowa jip
The house covered with a thatched roof is called
“Choga jip”
The house covered with a wood roof is called “Nowa
jip” Lower class people lived in these houses.

6. Houses for Upper Class
1. Koreans of the upper classes built larger
houses with tiled roofs.
2. These houses are called “Giwa jip”.
3. Upper-class houses consisted of a
number of separate structures, one for
accommodation of women and children,
one for the men of the family and their
guests, and another for servants, all
enclosed within a wall.

7. Gyeongbok Palace
 Built at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty when the "House of Yi or
Korean Imperial Household" Dynasty moved the capital to Seoul (1392-
1910), this palace remained the main seat of power for Korea kings
throughout much of the time to the present.

8. Gyeongbok Palace
1. Gyeongbok means Shining Happiness.
2. Gyeongbok Palace was built as the primary palace of the Joseon
Kingdom by its founder, King Taejo in 1395, the fourth year of his reign.

9. Palaces in Joseon Dynasty
Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁) Changgyeonggung Palace (창경궁)
Deoksugung Palace (덕수궁) Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

10. Buddhist temples in Korea

11. 'Ondol'( 온돌 warm-stone)
A traditional Korean house is called Hanok. The Hanok has an
'Ondol'( 온돌 warm-stone) style room which is efficient by
warming up stone of the room during the cold winter time.

12. Ondol: Floor heating system
1. The Ondol style heating system has been
deeply rooted in the Korean life style
even in today.
2. Many Korean houses still have an Ondol
heating system inside the house
although those look western styles from
outside.

13. Korean Heating System: Ondol
• An ondol “온돌”, also called
gudeul “구들”, in Korean
traditional architecture, is
underfloor heating that
uses direct heat transfer
from wood smoke to the
underside of a thick
masonry floor.

14. Korean Heating System: Ondol
 Traditionally, the source of heat for the
Ondol was a fireplace.
 Located in the kitchen or on the outside
wall of the living room.
 Horizontal flues—passageways for heat
and smoke— ran beneath the room’s
floor, connecting the fireplace and the
chimney. Hot air from the fire passed
through the flues and heat the stone
and floor.

15. References
• http://www.antiquealive.com/Blogs/Hanok_Traditional_Korean_House.html
• http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AKR/AK_ENG_2_4.jsp
• http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/pro- architecture.htm
• http://orientalarchitecture.com/cid/84/korea-south/seoul
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondol
• https://www.dezeen.com/tag/south-korean-houses/
• http://easytolearnkorean.com/heated-floors-modern-and-traditional-
%EC%98%A8%EB%8F%8C/
• http://www.antiquealive.com/Blogs/Ondol_Korean_Home_Heating_System.html