SNU Professor BongHee Jeon Research Team,
developed 'Lego'-like Gyeongbokgung Palace Hanok assembly kit
-Applied molding principle and construction methods of Korean traditional wooden architecture, and made applicable to Korea-China-Japan wooden structures

▲ A 1:100 assembly kit prototype of Geunjeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace developed by SNU BongHee Jeon Research Team

 
SNU College of Engineering (Dean Lee Kun-woo) stated on 2nd that Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering Professor BongHee Jeon Research Team developed a 1:100 assembly kit prototype of Geunjeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace.
 
Professor Jeon's research team initiated the research project with awareness that many Hanok models in the market do not reflect molding principles and construction methods of Korean traditional wooden structures and merely represent their exterior.
 
The research team approached with the aspect that Hanok is an assembly type structure that many materials are assembled to construct a building. The method of assembling unit materials into the end product is similar to Lego products of Denmark; still Hanok is unique that it is not laying building method but it is frame construction method.
 
The research team analyzed most complex construction principle of Geunjeongjeon Hall's wooden structural fitting and seaming method through 3D modeling program such as Rhyno and designed 3,537 materials for 1:100 miniature model using optimized construction method.
 
These materials are processed through 2D floor plan and manufactured to hand-assemblable form through cutting work of razor cutter. These materials can be assembled without glue and hence, repeatedly can be disassembled and assembled. This method is grounded on the frame construction method of Korean traditional wooden structure. It has an advantage of building different form of wooden structure based on the assembler’s intention.
 
Professor Jeon said “This prototype is focused on Geunjeongjeon, but this is also applicable to Korean, China, and Japan’s wooden structure which share same frame construction principle. This assembly kit can be used for educational purposes to develop perceptual space skills and has potential on contents application aspects on Korea culture heritage in historical architecture.”
 
The research team made a video on fabrication of assembly kit of Geunjeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace and planned to make this public for limited purposes such as Korea traditional wooden structure education. Also, they are researching to release the real product by increasing production efficiency with MDF prototype. Further discussion on technology transition to domestic and foreign model and toy companies is planned to be made.
 
This research was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea and has two patent registration and patent application.