Hanok refers to traditional Korean houses. Hanok is known for its ondol heating system which was first used in the North. Smoke and heat generated from low-lying kitchen stoves were channeled through pipes built under floors. In the warmer south, ondol was used together with wooden floors.
The major materials used in traditional houses were clay, wood, rock and rice straw for the commoners. Giwa refers to black-grooved roof tiles made of earth, usually red clay. The Presidential Office is called Cheongwadae, or the Blue House, for the blue tiles used for its roof.
Another unique feature of Hanok is the absense of nails. Traditional Korean houses were
assembled with wooden pegs. Upperclass houses consisted of a number of separate structures, one for the accommodation of women and children, one for the men of the family and their
guests, and another for servants, all enclosed within a wall. A family ancetral shrine was built behind the house.
The form of the houses differed from the colder north to the warmer south. Traditional houses in the warmer south were shaped like the alphabet "I", in order to allow good wind circulation. The shape of the most popular Hanok in the central region resemble the letter "L", an architectural mix of the north and south. Hanoks in the cold northern region were box-shaped to block the wind flow.
From the late 1960s, Korea's housing pattern began to change rapidly with the construction of western-style apartment buildings. High-rise apartments have mushroomed all over the country since the 1970s but the ondol heating system has remained popular with heated water pipes taking the place of smoke pipes under the floor.
Places of interest for foreigners wishing to see Hanok are Bukchon Hanok Village, located between Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo in central Seoul, the Korean Folk Village in the city of Yongin, a satellite city of Seoul, and the Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
