Abstract
Although evolution of construction materials brought about development of modern architecture, they caused destruction of the environment and pollution. This problem is not a new one in terms of ecological esthetics and materials of sustainable architecture in light of the Eastern view of nature and this idea became a background of this study. The basic concept is to try to find out their characteristics from a perspective of ecological esthetics in relation to traditional building materials that nature, architecture, and humans coexist and live with each other to balance. Based on ecological esthetics and precedent studies on materials of traditional architecture, we investigated connections, expressive methods and characteristics in traditional residential construction space. This attempt has meanings in that it can propose a new framework of forming various viewpoints and spatial perceptions in relation to esthetics and traditional construction materials. The current study examined the characteristics by dividing them into tangible and intangible elements based on expressive features of elements of nature. The characteristics found by this process are not simply notion of physical materials, but plays a key role aesthetically and ecologically. Nature and materials take circulation of the law of nature, regulate energy, increase efficiency and play a major role in an economic way. Nature in itself becomes natural alternative energy, and plays its role in an invisible fashion. It examined how expressive characteristics of construction materials are reflected through analyzing residential space and Korean traditional garden having relationships with Eastern viewpoint of nature in relation to Korean traditional construction materials from a perspective of ecological esthetics. Findings of the above study indicate that expressive characteristics of Korean traditional construction materials from a perspective of ecological esthetics are that nature, space, humans coexist and live together and they will provide a clue to an alternative to solve ecological and environmental problems modern society will have in the future. Through this process, it provided a possibility that traditional space and materials can be succeeded in creative and new ways, and it found out the way for nature, space, and humans to coexist and a possibility of ecological esthetics. It addition, it will provide a key base as an alternative of sustainable design of the future.
