Korean Housing and Architectural Discourse: A Cross-Cultural Diagnosis and the Quest for Alternatives

 

SPACE Academia – an architectural theory research forum overseen by the monthly journal SPACE (listed on A&HCI) – opened its call for papers and proposals for special issues in February 2025. Now, SPACE Academia announces its second research theme: we invite all researchers to open up new horizons in the study of architecture and urbanism.

There are many ways in which architecture can participate in urban regeneration. Here, the focus fell upon the idea of paths. The site sits adjacent to a riverside embankment path (a pedestrian walkway along the Baekmagang River) and faces a road (Subuk-ro) that runs opposite a circulation route through the heart of the village. If these two paths could be connected across the site, more people might naturally ascend to the embankment path and enjoy the riverside scenery. It became the conceptual thread for the building¡¯s layout. The structure was placed lengthwise along an east–west axis, opening itself to both the embankment path and the road. The southern portion of the site was intentionally left open, enclosed only by a louvered fence, so as to create a courtyard that faces both the path and the road. The building presents only a minimal façade to the street, allowing sunlight to flood into the remaining open space. The first floor, designed as a commercial unit, is a transparent space held within a ¡°¤§¡±-shaped concrete section that extends into the courtyard.

Topology: Hanok (2025) is an experiment that develops a topological design workflow using AI to reinterpret the sectional logic and spatial continuity of traditional Korean architecture beyond mere formal reconstruction or structural reproduction. Rather than directly restoring the structural joints or framing system of traditional hanok, the project focuses on its nonlinear spatial organisation, the fluidity of curves, and the continuous transitions between interior and exterior. These characteristics are gradually transformed through an AI-based three-dimensional mapping algorithm that interprets sequences of images as evolving forms.

Ora 2-dong, which is located in the northern part of Jeju, is a place where a soft breeze flows over a gently sloping terrain, a heavy humidity hangs in the air, and the texture of soil sediments all create a subtle tension. The linear site of 100m width and 30m length is surrounded by a 700-household apartment district which is currently undergoing construction in the northern region, a greenhouse district in the south, Onam-ro at the east, and Hancheon Stream – which is the longest dry stream in Jeju – in the west. Although the decision was made that the site would be open on all sides, a long period of contemplation was required concerning how to open and arrange the site due to the diversity of the surrounding landscapes leading in all directions. I visited the site to study the changes of the seasons, the light quality, and the land¡¯s history. I began the design after spending time strolling along the axis formed by the ancient zelkova trees and native citrus groves, understanding the rhythm created by the wind¡¯s prevailing direction and the land¡¯s texture.

The construction and architecture sectors currently account for the highest level of carbon emissions of all industrial fields worldwide. Architecture, which has supported humankind for ten thousand years, entered the twentieth century with efficiency and economy as supreme values, adopting concrete and steel almost exclusively as its materials. In this context, as the world has experienced a pandemic and is facing an environmental crisis, an innovative critical approach has emerged to redefine the concept of sustainability. Specifically, the use of organic-based composite materials suggests a new possibility for architecture, which has long depended on inorganic materials that cannot be recycled or decomposed.