[EN] 동서양 건축의 차이! 이 영상만 보면 당신의 세계여행이 달라진다.

Summary

Unveil the fascinating world of Eastern and Western architecture in this engaging video! Discover how climatic conditions, like precipitation and snow, played pivotal roles in shaping architectural styles across the globe. From the vibrant dancheong patterns on Korean wooden buildings to the iconic bricks of ancient Mesopotamia, delve into the historical and cultural influences that define the built environments in distinct regions. Explore how materials, window sizes, and overall design philosophies create diverse landscapes and experiences, offering viewers a deeper appreciation for the intertwined relationship between the natural world and architectural forms.

Highlights

• Discover why Eastern buildings have large windows and Western ones don't! 🌞
• Learn how precipitation influences architectural materials and design! 🌧️
• Explore how different cultures integrate nature into their building practices 🌿
• Uncover why dancheong is more than just colorful paint—it’s a link to nature! 🎨
• Find out why roof slopes vary from Italy to Northern Europe, all linked to rain and snow! 🏔️

Key Takeaways

• Eastern and Western architecture are influenced by climate and precipitation levels 🌦️.
• Eastern structures often feature wood and large windows, tying closely to nature 🌳.
• Western architecture tends to use stone or brick with smaller windows, emphasizing wall strength 🏰.
• The slope of roofs in different regions is determined by rain and snowfall amounts ❄️.
• Architectural styles reflect cultural attitudes towards privacy, nature, and community 🌏.

Overview

Have you ever wondered why the architecture of the East and West look so different? It all begins with something as simple as precipitation! In areas with higher rainfall, like Korea, the need to protect wooden structures from the elements led to unique solutions like long eaves and elevated floors. Meanwhile, in countries with less rain, buildings made of sturdy materials like brick and stone with thick walls became the norm. These climate-induced architectural characteristics reveal much about each culture's interaction with nature.

Travel through time and space as you learn how cultural habits and natural phenomena have shaped human shelter. Eastern architectures opt for openness and blending indoor and outdoor spaces with large windows and open pillars, inviting nature inside. Contrarily, Western techniques often focus on the façade's appearance and the building's grandeur, born from the need to have thick, protective walls. It’s fascinating to see how these differing priorities manifest in majestic castles and charming hanoks alike.

A simple thing like the slope of a roof holds deep significance in understanding a region’s environmental conditions and historical context. From the towering, steep roofs of snow-laden Northern Europe to the gentler slopes of rain-soaked Italy, each style carries a story of adaptation and survival. Similarly, vibrant Korean dancheong patterns are more than decorative—they’re a reflection of the land’s natural hues, seamlessly blending built and natural environments for a uniquely immersive experience.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Dancheong and Architectural Differences The chapter begins with a personal reflection on the perception of 'dancheong,' which are traditional Korean patterns often seen in wooden buildings. Initially, the author found them overly colorful, but upon further appreciation, recognized how these designs seem to harmonize with nature.
• 00:30 - 05:00: Precipitation and Its Influence on Architecture This chapter discusses the influence of precipitation on architecture, highlighting how different levels of rainfall lead to distinct agricultural practices, which in turn impact architectural styles. With rainfall exceeding 1,000㎜, rice farming becomes prevalent, as seen in Korea with its 1,350㎜ of annual precipitation. Conversely, Europe, with 850㎜ of evenly distributed rainfall, leans towards wheat farming. These agricultural preferences, dictated by climate, significantly influence the region's architectural norms.
• 05:00 - 10:00: Characteristics of Western and Asian Architecture The chapter outlines the beginnings of architecture in the Mesopotamia region, emphasizing Uruk, located in modern-day Iraq, as a significant first city. Due to scarce rainfall and a lack of trees, the inhabitants utilized mud bricks as primary building materials, exemplified by the construction of the Tower of Babel using bricks made from the local mud of Shinar. This highlights the distinct architectural characteristic of the Middle Eastern Mesopotamian region during that era.
• 10:00 - 15:00: The Role of Windows in European and Asian Architecture The chapter explores the impact of initial architectural styles from the Middle East, and how they influenced European architecture starting with Greece, eventually reaching Asia. It highlights the construction preferences in the Middle East, where buildings focused on brick walls due to decreased rainfall, resulting in flat-roofed cuboidal structures with minimal and small windows due to the hot climate. Contrastingly, it alludes to different architectural elements in the Toscana region of Italy.
• 15:00 - 20:00: Connecting Inside and Outside in Korean Architecture The chapter discusses the climatic influences on architectural design in Korea, particularly focusing on the allowance of rainfall, approximately 850mm annually, which results in the slanted roofs typical of the region. It mentions the materials used in construction, such as bricks or stones, and the necessity for small windows to prevent structural collapse. This results in a characteristic feature of Korean architecture where rich individuals opting for larger buildings also require thicker walls.
• 20:00 - 22:00: Q&A on Architectural Structures in Korea and Japan In this chapter, the discussion focuses on the architectural differences between Western and Asian structures, specifically in how they allow sunlight to penetrate the buildings. Western architecture, such as the Palace de Versailles, utilizes higher and longer vertically rectangular windows to enable sunlight to enter larger buildings. In contrast, Asian architecture, particularly in Korea and Japan, accommodates their climate, such as frequent rain during the rainy season, which influences their architectural design choices.
• 22:00 - 22:53: Conclusion and Outro The chapter discusses the challenges faced in Korean architecture due to the rainy season in July and August, which leads to muddy grounds. It describes the balance architects had to achieve between using heavy materials that could collapse if the foundation weakens, and wood, which while lighter, runs the risk of rotting when wet. Consequently, Asian architectural techniques evolved to focus on preventing wood from getting wet.

[EN] 동서양 건축의 차이! 이 영상만 보면 당신의 세계여행이 달라진다. Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 When I was in school, I used to think the dancheong(traditional Korean pattern used in wooden buildings) was rather tacky. They were a bit too colorful for me. Seen from the inside, even when it's against the light, it looks connected. It almost feels like nature is rushing inside. Hello everyone. Today we will talk about the characteristics of Western and Eastern architecture. I thought we'd have to talk about this one day. It feels a bit out of date to actually divide the two, but it is quite important and for those of you who are watching this channel, there's the need for some basic knowledge to a certain extent.
• 00:30 - 01:00 So let's do this. Point 1. Everything started from precipitation The first standard that divides Eastern and Western architecture is precipitation. If the precipitation exceeds 1,000㎜, people engage in rice farming. If the precipitation is lesser than that, people engage in wheat farming. In Korea's case, as the annual precipitation is around 1,350㎜, we grow rice. In Europe's case, it rains about 850㎜ per year, quite evenly around the seasons. That's why they grow wheat. The climate determines that.
• 01:00 - 01:30 So what we call the first civilization, first architecture all happened in the Mesopotamia region. There's a city called Uruk(now Iraq) where it rains about 120㎜ per year. Trees didn't grow there. So the building materials they used was bricks baked with mud as they could get them easily. If you read the Genesis, there's this story about the Tower of Babel. It says they used mud from the land of Shinar to bake bricks and piled them up to build the Tower of Babel. At that time, in the Middle East Mesopotamia region, we can see that their building material was bricks baked with mud.
• 01:30 - 02:00 Since that was the first architecture, it spread to nearby regions such as Greece to influence European architecture before spreading to farther regions like Asia. As the buildings are made out of bricks, they are built focusing on the walls. And as it rains less in the Middle East, the roofs would be flat, which forms a cuboid shaped building with not much windows as the weather is hot. The windows they did have were small. But in the Toscana region like in Italy,
• 02:00 - 02:30 it does rain a bit. That region is outside the dry climate zone. As it rains about 850㎜ per year there, the roofs start to slant a bit. So the roofs are slightly sloped. If you take a look at the buildings in that area, they are usually made of bricks or stones, and the windows there are of small sizes. It's because as the walls are supporting the roof, big windows would cause a collapse. So, the characteristic of Western architecture is that the windows are small. When rich people build big buildings, the wall gets thicker and thicker.
• 02:30 - 03:00 Then the sunlight won't be able to penetrate into the inside of the building. In order to allow sunlight inside the building is to make a higher and longer window. So for example, the Palace de Versailles has vertically long windows. This means that the building is big. Buildings smaller than that make small windows shaped like a square or a rectangle. Things are a bit different in Asian architecture. If they bake bricks and build houses focused on walls the same way mentioned before, the problem is that it rains a lot during the rainy season.
• 03:00 - 03:30 In Korea, when it rains around July and August, the ground becomes all muddy. So this wall made of heavy building materials will break down because the foundation is weakened. To prevent that, we need to use wood, which is a light building material. The problem with wood is that when it rains, the wet wood will rot and collapse. As a consequence of that, Asian architecture developed in the direction of trying to prevent wood from getting wet.
• 03:30 - 04:00 If there's a wooden pillar, stones are put under it since they are waterproof materials. In case of the daecheongmaru(a wooden-floored living room), it's built above the ground so that wind can go through that empty space and enable the wet ground to dry up easily. There's also the reason that they had to use ondols, as they are also made of materials like mud and stones. Materials other than wood are used in areas that meet the ground. Also, you can see that the eaves are long. The reason for the eaves being 60~70㎝ longer is that
• 04:00 - 04:30 the wooden pillars should be protected from the rain. So the eaves are long and the slope of the roof is quite steep. I saw a YouTuber saying in the comments (thanks for the comment) that places where it snows a lot have steep roofs. Yes, that's right. In Northern Europe, winter is long and it snows a lot. As the snow could pile up to collapse the roof, it has a steep slope. So you can see that the slope of the roof is decided by precipitation and the amount of snowfall.
• 04:30 - 05:00 Point 2. The window size creates the village's landscape In Asia, people generally use wooden pillars. The thing about this is that there's a big open space between those pillars. That's a good thing because we can make big windows. Especially, in Korea's case, paper that was invented by China's Lin Cai was imported for window material, which makes the windows light and big. In summer, as the windows are made of paper we can fold the window and hang it from the ceiling,
• 05:00 - 05:30 which enables fresh air to circulate. On the other hand, Europe has small windows. And as it was before paper was spread, they made wooden shutters. So in Europe, there are windows where the wooden shutters are folded and fixed on the wall. These days, they have a glass window inside that wooden shutter but they did not have that in the past. Glass was not used like that until the Middle Ages around 12, 13C when it was used as window material in Gothic Cathedrals. So in the past, they used to block the windows with wooden shutters,
• 05:30 - 06:00 which prevents sunlight from coming in. They could rarely see the outside scenery as when it's cold, they closed the windows which blocked the view. These people rarely look at the outside view from the inside. So, how the building is seen from the outside became more important for them. They began to develop in the direction of designing the building's facade in golden ratio as what's seen from the outside is important. As they don't have the ondol system they use fireplaces instead, which enables them to build high buildings with several stories
• 06:00 - 06:30 by raising the walls high. Naturally, elevation became more advanced. Then how's it like in the East? As people there use wooden pillars, the space between is open to show the outside scenery well. That makes them think about the outside scenery and themselves. As they thought about how the elements of nature outside and they themselves are related, they came to think of geomancy. In Korean architecture, the outside view of the building isn't more important than the scenery seen from the inside. Since the heating system in Korea is the ondol, all buildings are single-story ones.
• 06:30 - 07:00 Imagine this. The wooden pillars do open up my view, but there is a problem. Security. So what would you do? You have to make a fence. Western architecture basically has big buildings and not much fences as the walls protect the people inside. But in Korea, we put up fences to secure our safety. Eastern architecture's characteristics are that the buildings focus on the wall, are very open, and have fences.
• 07:00 - 07:30 Then there becomes a space called a yard in between the fence and house. This is one of the main features of Korean traditional architecture. -Then why are the fences so low? It'd be nice if the fences were high but that's not possible because as I mentioned before, it rains a lot so there can be no high walls. I learned about this in the past that our people were so nice that they made the fences low to the point where others could see inside their houses. It's more of a technical reason than that. As the foundation is not strong enough, building a high fence costs even more than building the house itself.
• 07:30 - 08:00 That's why they make fences with mud mixed with stones, which also, when rained on can be washed away. So they make small roofs made of straw to put on the fences. As they can't build high walls, the fences are low too. That's what decides the landscape of the village. Point 3. How to connect the inside and outside The effect of a low fence when seen from the inside is that the scenery in the middle is erased. If you sit down in a hanok and see the outside view,
• 08:00 - 08:30 there's a window like this, and usually a toenmaru(floor of Korean wooden verandah). Then there's a low fence, and behind that you can see a mountain like this. The fact that we can see this scenery means that the middle view is erased. When it is erased, we bring in the distant view. After that, we try to bring in the nature step by step. Next is the close-range view, which is the garden in the yard. Then there's a miniascape, which is a table with a bonsai on it.
• 08:30 - 09:00 They make bonsai out of small pine trees and draw landscape paintings on the wall. Through this, they create a small version of nature. So traditional Korean architecture is about continuing to bring nature inside, starting from the distant view, then close-distance view, and then the miniascape. It developed in the direction of blurring boundaries of the outside and inside. One of the factors that determine the outside view is the eaves. The eaves cover up from above like this.
• 09:00 - 09:30 The eaves become the upper part of the frame that captures the outside view. So the color of the eaves is very important. In Korea, dancheong (traditional Korean pattern used in wooden buildings) developed. Colors like green and red that complement each other are splendidly used. When I was still a student, I used to think of these dancheong as rather tacky. It was a bit too colorful for my taste. It's painted in vivid colors. I wondered why and found the answer in nature.
• 09:30 - 10:00 Nature has its variations of green and brown. The branches are kind of a reddish purple or brown. The leaves are very green. I recently went to the Bulguksa Temple where you can see lots of dancheong, and one day I saw from this angle the eaves and the rafter like this. I could see well the dancheong colored with paint imitating the colors of nature. So overall, the flow of all these colors blur boundaries. It makes us feel as if the landscape is coming inside.
• 10:00 - 10:30 The reason why the saturation is low and the brightness is high is because seen from the perspective of the person inside, the eaves look dark because it's bright outside and they are against the light. So if they are painted in a general sort of color they will look too dark from the inside. But when the eaves are painted in bright and vivid colors, they all look connected together despite the bright light outside.
• 10:30 - 11:00 It felt like nature was rushing inside. So I think we can infer that people that time colored the dancheong with these intentions. That's just what I think. Q1. Aren't Korean towers high? We need to be careful with this. Architecture and sculpture are different. A tower is not for people to live there. So we can just stack it high. When farming, sprouts come up from the ground. Everything that comes up and has verticality symbolizes life.
• 11:00 - 11:30 So there are things like jangseung(Korean traditional totem pole at the village entrance), obelisk, and towers. I think this is what comes out instinctively in things we can call the stūpa. Q2. Why is the Osaka Castle in Japan high? Despite the rainy season, there are places high-rise buildings are built. Japan is a bit different from Korea in that Korea continued to use ondol but Japan couldn't. Frequent earthquakes sunk the gudeuljang(heating stone). So the heating system was not an ondol, but rooms were made lightly with straw mats and braziers were put inside them.
• 11:30 - 12:00 So naturally, they could build high-rise buildings. So today we talked about Western and Eastern building materials decided by precipitation, and through that, characteristics of architecture. We also looked at how the building space influenced how people think. So I'll see you guys next time. Please like, subscribe, and press the notification bell!