I have been watching documentaries on South Korean architecture recently. I thought it would be a great idea to share my thoughts about South Korean houses.
South Korea's traditional houses are called Hanok(한옥) and these beautiful houses use wood frame for the roof , doors and windows and clay for the floor. For me they look very similar to the traditional Kerala houses. Most of these Hanoks are single floored. But with population growth, change in living patterns and less housing in areas like Seoul the houses started to grow taller. Apartment system was introduced and many people could live in a smaller area.
Being an Indian I observed certain things about South Korean housing which I have never heard of in India. (Or it could be that I have not experienced it yet) The houses that I visited had only one bathroom or toilet whether it was a big house or a very small house. And some houses had low roof and smaller rooms. South Koreans are used to sleeping on the floor so that could be the reason why the rooms are smaller. If a bed is to be put in the room their would not be any space for other furniture or it could become very congested. And as South Korea is geographically a country full of ups and downs i.e. hills and mountains, basement of the building is also used for housing. Here, there two terms for apartments or houses which are in the basement. One is basement house which is fully underground and the other is half-basement where the window of the house is on the same level as the road. The lowest floor costs lower the higher you go the rent for the apartments or rooms are higher. This is because the basement and the 1st floor does not get enough sun light and could become humid. Also these floors invite a variety of insects.
The walls of my room with mold. This was in summer after heavy rains.
I really don't know why houses have low roof. I guess it is to save space upwards and make more floors. It is just my guess. Having lower roof makes the house or room very humid and it leads to the formation of fungus/mold. The other thing I was shocked to know about was the noise disturbance between each floor. In South Korea, people make complaints about noise disturbance. Households with kids have a tough time because kids normally like to jump and play around and if the house is on the 2nd floor or higher floors, the family living beneath them have to bear the sound of kids jumping above. Some families with kids opt for the 1st floor as there won't be anyone beneath them, some opt to live in rural areas in a single villa house. I think this could make people to stop having kids as they have to go through so much of trouble. The noise disturbance is not just caused by kids jumping. It could be the sound of he washing machine or dryer. So most households do not/cannot use washing machines after a certain time in the night.
This made me feel that South Koreans are very sensitive especially the people living in crowded areas. After working so hard and being stressed from everyday's work they expect a peaceful time for rest which when disturbed not just South Korean but anyone could become sensitive.
