Architect preserves, resurrects Koreas traditional lifestyles 상세내용
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Architect preserves, resurrects Koreas traditional lifestyles
date2009-12-10 00:00:00
writerAdmin
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Where are all the traditional buildings?
Thats the question that ends up on the lips of some foreigners who visit Korea for the first time with high hopes of indulging themselves in the trappings of old Asia.
Such a response is understandable considering the massive and hasty industrialization of the 1960s and 70s destroyed many of Koreas traditional houses, known here as hanok.
A reminder of old and impoverished times past, many hanok were demolished and replaced with modern, western-style apartment buildings, many bleak and featureless.
Data show that more than 50 percent of Korean people now live in these apartment buildings. In Seoul alone, home to more than 10 million people - about a quarter of the countrys population - only about 14,000 hanok are known to have survived.
Yet in recent years, the old houses have found themselves enjoying newfound attention.
The central government has taken note of their rich potential as tourist attractions, certifying one hanok village after another. Architects, meanwhile, have fallen in love with their architectural beauty and the ancestral wisdom evident in the way they are built. For example, ondol floor heating systems come from hanok.
Since 2001, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been working on preserving the citys remaining hanok, most of which can be found in the districts of Jongno-gu, Seongbuk-gu and Dongdaemun-gu. The government has introduced various measures, including a ban on real estate development in hanok neighborhoods and subsidies to remodel and maintain the old homes.
Today, hanok are in the middle of a full-fledged renaissance, with the emergence of hanok inns, hanok restaurants, even a hanok dental clinic, while adopting elements of their traditional designs is all the rage in Korean architecture. A man who deserves a fair share of credit for hanoks newfound popularity is Jo Jeong-gu, the director at Guga Architects. He has renovated or built more than 30 hanok across Korea that have now become landmarks in more ways than one.
They include, in Seoul, the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine in Wonseodong, Restaurant Nuri in Insa-dong and the Bukchon Hanok Village; in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the Gunja Village Hall in Andong; in Gyeongsangbuk-do, La Gung, a hanok-style hotel in Gyeongju.
Today, so many things are disappearing, Jo laments. “Even before we get to look at or talk about what we have, their meaning and value, our cities get demolished and erased. We need to come up with a way to bring development to cities without erasing.”
One model, Jo says, is the hanok renovation project in Bukchon, northern Seoul, which in 2001 gave birth to the Bukchon Hanok Village, now a tourist destination.
According to Jo, the project was an eye-opener for him, as well, helping him discover the potential of hanok and delve into their structure. Not long afterward, Jo became the go-to architect for high-profile hanok projects.
Since Bukchon, Jo says he has fallen in love with hanok. So much so that in 2003 Jo and his wife moved to a hanok in the Seodaemun-gu area in Seoul. Before that the couple and their only child had lived in a typical Korean apartment building. Now, Jo and his wife have four kids, which they say must have something to do with the peace of mind that comes with living in a hanok.
The typical hanok is built around a courtyard. Jo has even been quoted as saying that “the focus of my architecture is always the yard.” Its a subject Jo can talk about for hours ― and he didnt miss the chance to do so in this interview.
“I dont necessarily believe that a hanok must be a traditional wooden structure,” Jo says. “But I do believe the most important thing in a hanok is its relationship with the courtyard. That is where the true ‘hanokness comes from: the yard.”
Jo went on to say that a hanoks yard is not something that people just look at and enjoy visually. It is something that people use, where people feel the seasons change.
“Getting a yard is like getting a piece of nature in a huge room,” Jo says. One of Jos most high-profile projects was the multiple award-winning La Gung hotel. La Gung opened in 2007 and enjoyed intense media coverage, as it was the first high-end, luxury hanok hotel to open in Korea.
“Often La Gung is fully booked over the weekend,” said Min Dae-sik at the Shilla Millennium Park, the film setcum-theme park that houses the hotel. “Part of the reason is because it only has 16 villas, but we believe its also an indication that people are responding positively to hanok structures.”
Jo admits he wasnt certain La Gung would succeed when he was first given the job. After all, it was an unprecedented project.
“My biggest concern when designing La Gung was how many traditional elements I would use and how much I would adopt modern s.”
In its completed , La Gung embodies the qualities that set Jo apart from other hanok-savvy architects: It retains its traditional and atmosphere with modern s and facilities.
Each villa at the hotel has two to three rooms, a private yard, as well as a private, open-air hot bath.
After La Gung, Jo worked on another hanok hotel, a hanok library and a hanok art gallery. But the architect says he is most inspired by residential hanok, and names a hanok in Gahoe-dong called Seoneumjae as one of his most memorable projects.
Built in 1934, the hanok was on the verge of being demolished, with the owner, like so many who came before, tempted by a large offer from a real estate developer. But Jo heard about Seoneumjae and its historical value and convinced the owner to opt for renovation instead.
“I thought about what the best renovated hanok Ive ever worked on was. It was, in fact, my house. I have lived in a hanok since 2003, but I didnt renovate it too much. Thats when I realized that when it comes to hanok renovation, less is more.”
Although Jo focused on keeping the original frame and ambiance of Seoneumjae, he did add elements to please the owner and make life there more convenient, like a listening room in the basement. Still, Jo made sure the buildings 70-year heritage was kept as intact as possible.
That is perhaps why, along with a model of the 130-year-old hanok residence of Koreas er president Yun Po-sun in Insa-dong, central Seoul, a miniature of Seoneumjae was chosen to be displayed at an exhibition in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Korean Embassy.
A graduate in architecture of the prestigious Seoul National University, Jo opened his first office, Guga Architects, in 2000. That was also when he initiated what he calls the “Wednesday survey.” Every Wednesday he heads out to examine and buildings, alleys and other urban structures and elements in and around the Seodaemun-gu area.
So far he has done more than 460 such surveys and completed nine detailed scrapbooks. Looking over them today, one is struck by Jos persistence, even stubbornness. But along the way, Jo said, he has learned more about life than about architecture.
The 43-year-old says that through the surveys he has come to a better understanding of the way people live, and of Seoul as a historic yet constantly changing city.
“Different people live differently, according to their walks of life, financial circumstances and whatnot. Some of the places may look dark, cramped and old, but still they are a precious back to someones life, just like any other place. A good city is one where different people can live in harmony.”
