Korea has four distinct seasons. Winter is cold, and summer is hot and
humid. This is why traditional Korean housing uses the ondol (온돌) heating
system to get through the winter. Ondol is created by building air passageways
under the floor to allow heat from a fire lit elsewhere in the house. The passageways
are covered with flat bricks, which are then covered with mud. The fireplace
at the start of the air passageways is called an agungi (아궁이), and it is
usually located in the kitchen. The floor stays heated for a long time thanks to
the way the bricks hold the heat.
Traditional housing styles consist of chogajip (초가집) and giwajip (기와집).
Chogajip can be seen these days almost exclusively at Yongin Folk Village. They
have straw roofs and their walls are made of earth and wood, making them cool
in summer and warm in winter. The rice-straw (byeotjip 볏짚) used for roofing is
also called ieong (이엉). Giwajip use tiles (giwa 기와) on the roof instead of straw.
They are not fancy, but are quiet and full of feeling.
Shoes are removed when entering one of the rooms. In the past, traditional
houses had no chairs. Foreigners who are unaccustomed to sitting on the floor
with their legs folded for long periods of time may find doing so difficult, but
Koreans are used to this.
Instead of beds, people sleep on beddings placed on the
ondol floor. The Korean style mattress, the yo (요), holds the heat from the ondol,
allowing one to enjoy the warmth for a long time. These days even houses in the
countryside use modern heating systems to heat the floor, but it is still possible to
find the old methods still employed to heat old houses.
[edit] Types of Housing 주택의 종류
[edit] Traditional Houses 전통가옥
Traditional Korean houses are constructed of wood. They have ondol for
warmth in the winter, and their daecheong maru (대청마루) floor area, connecting
the rooms and the outdoors, make for a cooler summer.
[edit] High Rise Apartments 아파트
Korea is ten times the
global average in population
density. The population is
particularly dense in the
cities, where a lack of space
means there are a lot of
apartments. They are five
or more stories of units
grouped together, allowing
for each household to live
independently. Apartments
for the larger segment of the
population are generally ranging between 13-25
pyeong in size, but there are also luxury-size apartments with over 45 pyeong in space. In
most city areas, apartments use gas piped in from elsewhere for heating and
cooking.
[edit] Yeollip Jutaek 연립주택
While yeollip jutaek may also be called apartments, in Korean, the word
apateu (아파트) generally refers to high rise apartments, while yeollip jutaek speaks
of "small size apartment buildings" of under stories. They are similar to high rise
apartments in internal layout.
[edit] Houses 단독주택
Called dandok jutaek (단독주택) in Korean, meaning "individual house," individual
homes are usually one or two stories and have small yard areas.
[edit] Officetel 오피스텔
"Officetel" is a unique term created from the English words "office" and
"hotel." These are apartment-like buildings but their floor layout is designed to
be a combination of office and living space.
[edit] "One Rooms" 원룸
These are like studio apartments that have the sleeping, living, and
cooking area all in the same room, with a small bathroom attached. These are
becoming more popular.
More Accommodation...
