• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.100-121
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• 2009

This study is subjected to those gardens of the Korean Folk Village 'Oeam-Ri' designed in 1920s. - transitional period of traditional gardens - and define socio-cultural change's influences and through documents on garden design, descendant's testimony and measured drawings, to understand that period's garden culture's characteristics according to garden design elements. This study applied following analysis methods and procedures to derive out characteristics of transitional garden culture. Analysis on socio-cultural characteristics in 1920s. Analysis on actual condition of transitional garden's design. In this point Outline of the Garden, Space formation, Garden designing elements are (1) water landscape, (2) plant, (3) structures, (4) paving, to derive out characteristics of the transitional garden. The results follow as below; First, during the transitional period 1920s, the economical development, fueled by opening nation's door to foreign countries and indication of collapse of statue systems together with idea of practical science and Enlightenment Thought, was element of changes in garden style. Second, Garden Designers of transitional gardens in 'Oeam-Ri' were limited to upper class of the society. They were wealthy enough to maintain their high social statue in rapidly changing society. As results, tendency of returning to nature developed gardens located in a site of scenic beauty and development of geographical features arranging techniques, and also showed copying foreign styles. Third, arrangement of garden and space composition, in most cases, composed of buildings and yards. Changes in water landscape features and garden spaces are centered to main-yard. Major changes of the garden spaces are water landscapes and plants that showing foreign influences. Fifth, scenic appearance techniques appears with dense garden space and emphasizing visual scenic view. Sixth, the characteristics of transitional garden design techniques are development of geographical feature arranging techniques, changes and mixture of the materials and garden types, emphasizing garden's decorative beauty, change of concept of yard within house into garden, changes from 'borrowing of landscapes' to 'selecting landscapes', changes of front garden from emptiness to fullness, changes of attitudes of enjoying gardens from 'staying calm in the garden' to 'moving or walking in the garden', changes to inner-oriented view, and changes from 'just watching and enjoying the nature' to 'enjoying specific objects'. This study is one of the efforts to restore the identity of Korean Traditional Garden by approaching and observing modern era which function as bridge between tradition and present day, and we observed transitional aspects of changes of traditional garden into modern garden. Hereafter, more studies will be needed to Modern Garden Design be recognized as part of Korean Garden Design History and these would be author's next assignment.