Title Building Cluster Composition and Transformation in Hanok Cluster Areas and City Wall Villages in Seoul
Authors 한유진(Han, Yoojin) ; 박소현(Park, So-Hyun)
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.5.83
Page pp.83-94
ISSN 2733-6247
Keywords Downtown Seoul; Hanok Cluster Area; City Wall Village; Urban Form; Building Cluster; Building Transformation
Abstract Hanok Cluster Areas and City Wall Villages are residential areas that embody Seoul’s historic and cultural identity. These areas once experienced concentrated construction of urban Hanok and Culture Houses. However, during Seoul’s period of rapid growth, many buildings were demolished and replaced with new construction. With the shift in historic city management toward the Historic Urban Landscape approach, informed decisions that balance development and conservation require a clear understanding of building characteristics and their physical transformations. This study therefore selected Bukchon, Gyeongbokgung Palace West, Hyehwa, Seongbuk-A, and Gwanghui-Jangchung as research sites and examined the morphological characteristics of buildings based on form and scale. Clustering of the entire building stock revealed three predominant types across all five sites: wood structures with Giwa roofs, masonry structures with concrete roofs, and concrete structures with concrete roofs. When these clusters were further analyzed using the years 1990, 2000, and 2003 as reference points, years when legislative changes significantly altered construction trends, changes in building occupancy permit patterns appeared across all sites, though the degree of impact varied by location. Analysis of development-related attributes also showed that some clusters shared standardized characteristics across sites, while others reflected distinctive local traits. These findings provide a basis for assessing how building clusters support or weaken local identity and offer practical guidance for future urban design frameworks.