“WHERE are all the traditional buildings?" That's 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 industrialisation of the 1960s and '70s destroyed many of Korea's 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 per cent of Korean people now live in these apartment buildings. In Seoul alone, home to more than 10 million people ��" about a quarter of the country's 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 city's 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 neighbourhoods 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 are all the rage in Korean architecture. A man who deserves a fair share of credit for hanok's 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 hanokstyle 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 developmentto 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 theirstructure. Not long afterward, Jo became the go-to architect for highprofile 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 assaying that “the focus of my architecture is always the yard”. It's a subject Jo can talk about for hours ��" and he didn't miss the chance to do so in this interview. “I don't necessarily believe that a hanok must be a traditional woodenstructure,” 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 hanok's 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 Jo's 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 it's also an indication that people are responding positively to hanok structures." Jo admits he wasn't 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 functions," he told the quarterly Korea. In its completed form, La Gung embodies the qualities that set Jo apart from other hanok-savvy architects: It retains its traditional form and atmosphere with modern functions 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 I've ever worked on was. It was, in fact, my house. I have lived in a hanok since 2003, but I didn't renovate it too much. That's when I realised 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 building's 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 Korea's former president Yun Po-sun in Insa-dong, central Seoul, a miniature of Seoneumjae was chosen to be displayed at an exhibition in Washington, DC, hosted by the Korean Embassy. Agraduate 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 document 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 Jo's 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 backdrop to someone's life, just like any other place. A good city is one where different people can live in harmony."
