Name: Tan Jia Yi

Student ID: 0319476

Module: Effective Public Communication [COM 30103]

Assignment: Oral Presentation (Part 1)

Topic: Korean Traditional House

Session: September 2014

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF

KOREA

King Tan-gun established the first

kingdom named Choson

Three Kingdoms, Koguryo, Paekche and Shilla had emerged on the Korean Peninsula

Korea has maintained its political

independence and cultural identity

2333 B.C 57 B.C – A.D 935

Became the focus of intense competition among imperialist

nations such as China, Russia or Japan.

Japan annexed Korea and instituted colonial

rule, bringing the Choson Dynasty to an

end

National liberation occurred in 1945 but was soon followed by

territorial division.

Late19th century Year 1945Year 1910

Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the North ruled by a Communist regime.

The Republic of Korea in the South democratic government

Korean Traditional House

Hanok

Structure & Layout of Hanok House

The Layout of a Hanok

Northern Region (square layout)

Central Region (L layout)Southern Region

(straight-line layout)

To enclose the central living space

Preventing the cold wind from entering the house

To optimize airflow Many windows to let

in natural air

combine the northern and southern styles

Traditional Korean houses consist of several stand-alone buildings.

To separate

servants from owners

men from women

adults from children

Men’s Quarter

Inner Quarters

Ancestral Shrine

Open Pavilion

Yard

Structure of a Hanok

PlatformHanok are built on a raised platform, usually made by piling rocks

- to avoid water splashing into the house on rainy days

Cornerstonesnatural stone blocks with pillars hewn to fit them

- to block the humidity from the ground

Wooden Structures that Support the Roof

Crossbeamplaced perpendicularly to the pillars to support the load of the roof

Purlinwood pieces that support a rafter at a right angle from the crossbeam

Rafterthin and long wood pieces which edges form the eaves

King Postshort post supporting the ridgepole

Doors & Windows

WindowsGenerally rectangular, made of wooden frame lined with a traditional paper lining

- natural air penetrate through the windows

- natural light to enter the room

Doorshigh roof, made with thick wood board

- main gate was used only on special occasions

- narrow side gate was used on everyday basis

Ornamentation

Fence walls engraved with the Chinese characters for “long life (su)” and “good fortune (bok).”

symbolize people’s hopes and wishes for the growth, joy and peace of their families

Wooden tracery in window

Door decoration

Knockers

Roofline

Gabled Rooftriangular lateral sides

Hipped Roofhas 4 slopes above each of the 4 sides of building

Hipped-and-gabled Roofshape of a gabled roof placed on top of hipped roof

Pyramid Roof4 slopes of this roof terminate at a peak

Types of material used

Environmentally friendly

The stone, wood and paper which make up the Hanok are obtained

directly from natural sources.

WOOD is used for pillars, rafters, doors, windows, and flooring

PAPER (made from natural wood pulp) is glued to the frame of the sliding doors and the cross ribs of the windows

Hanok are built of various kind of woods but nails are not used to join the materials.

Joining and connecting methods

Adjoining Connecting

DOVETAIL JOINT

consists of a series of trapezoidal pins interlocking with similarly-shaped tails.

formed by the insertion of the tongue of one intersecting wood piece into the groove of the other

Reference

• Korea Tourism Organization. Hanok Traditional Houses. Retrieved from http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AC/AC_EN_4_5_2_1.jsp

• Asianinfo(2010). Korean History/Background. Retrieved from http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/pro-history.htm

• International Exposition Yeosu Korea(2012). Uniqueness of Korea. Retrieved from http://eng.expo2012.kr/is/ps/unitybbs/bbs/selectBbsDetail.html?ispsBbsId=BBS088&ispsNttId=0000012786