Seoul is a rapidly developing city that attempted to keep up with the swift rate of industrialization by constructing large buildings with short life cycles to provide basic urban facilities. Today, however, these buildings are obsolete, and Seoul has become a cultural city rather than an industrial one. Rather than destroying these old buildings, many seek to transform them into cultural facilities, thereby giving them location value. This study examines both international and domestic case studies to determine five ways that such revitalization endows these spaces with location value. Through this, the study demonstrates that providing historic buildings with traditional Seoul architectural and urban characteristics with location value creates a meaningful city in which traces of past industrialization coexist with the present. As Seoul continues to develop as a cultural hub in South Korea, this paper’s findings suggest directions for future urban design.

This study investigates the sustainable values of cafes established using idle industrial facilities that are a part of the cultural heritage of South Korea in terms of the characteristics of the architectural space and consumers’ space utilization. Twenty regenerative cafes in five regions were selected, and five of them were analyzed by comparing their characteristics with those of the conventional cafes. Unlike conventional cafes, regenerative cafes have architectural spaces that seem to be non-everyday and elicit a feeling of the passage of time. Users utilized these cafes as spaces for activities and experiences for long periods compared to conventional cafes. Consequently, regenerative cafes were found to contain sustainable values as complex networking spaces, as cultural heritage that can be experienced and as independent tourist destinations. Regenerative cafes have become unique differentiated architectural spaces utilized by several users.

This study examines the characteristics of 3D scan data of Korean wooden architectural heritage structures and methods of applying the data from a representation perspective. For the preservation of its unique features, architectural heritage requires accurate representation in terms of investigation, research, and application. The representation of architectural heritage indicates a derivative reflecting the original structure and construction based on the intention of the builder. Thus, the recognition of architectural heritage varies according to the representation methods, which include text, drawings, plans, photos, and 3D scan data, each of which has different advantages and disadvantages. Compared with other models, 3D scan data provide a more accurate representation and carry value as digital data, while minimizing potential intentionality. Three-dimensional scan data can be collated with different types of information, such as building information modeling (BIM), with ease of updating. Therefore, the characteristics of 3D scan data should be identified and applied regarding representation in order to maximize data effectiveness. Three-dimensional scan data can be used most efficiently to create investigative reports representing architectural heritage. By adding the awareness of new technologies, Korean wooden architectural heritage can take advantage of accurate documentation and digital surveys in order to be preserved and recorded sustainably through digital towns and datasets. They can documented and represented through a technology-driven investigative report.

‘Relocation’ is the most distinctive feature of Korean wooden architecture, since every wooden material can be in most cases completely dismantled and moved to another place. This paper analyzes Cheongju Mangseollu that possesses these unique relocation characteristics excellently, because it was relocated twice in 1923 and 1999 and the building’s function was therefore altered during the process. Mangseollu, which was once a pavilion, was relocated and altered into a school in 1923 and subsequently relocated into a pavilion again in 1999. Accordingly, there were inevitable changes in terms of function, surface, and structure every time it was relocated. As a result, the surface was utilized as one large space without walls, when it was altered into a classroom and the wall was built around each room. Despite all these changes, Mangseollu is recognized as a building of late Joseon period. Therefore, this paper claims that Korean wooden buildings are maintained with unique variability through the relocation process.

This study considered that the pursuit of nature in a city in the restoration projects of Cheonggye Stream and Suseongdong valley was the main motive of the landscape concept premised on humanity and, furthermore, found that it originated from Korean thoughts and cultures about nature. Based on these findings, the study aimed to investigate the influence and sustainability of historical and cultural backgrounds in the planning features of nature in the two restoration projects. The concept of landscape that started from the desire to go out of a city is premised on the secular world of humans. In Korean society, the concept has been developed based on the above common premise, through cultural exchanges with China, and in its regional specificity. In particular, the Korean culture of singing and painting the beauty of landscape using the words “Gyeong (景)” and “Gok (曲)” can be found in the backgrounds and landscape architecture plans of the Cheonggye Stream and Suseongdong Valley restoration projects. Therefore, the historical and cultural thoughts that pursued natural beauty were in the work for the restoration of the two streams, and these concepts should be considered for sustainable development for harmony between the city with nature and between nature with cultures.

Korean wooden built heritage is periodically repaired due to inherent material characteristics that necessitate inevitable changes. This study delves into a detailed point-by-point displacement analysis of Korean wooden built heritage, both pre- and post-repair. Specifically, this study examines the displacement of key points before repair, immediately after repair, and after a four-year interval, focusing on the Sungryeoljeon Shrine in Namhansanseong, a designated World Heritage Site. While substantial changes were observed before and immediately after repairs were made, this study revealed minimal alterations during the subsequent four-year period. However, significant displacement is anticipated when future repairs become necessary. This study posits that accumulating records, which meticulously document these displacements in Korean wooden built heritage, is critical to ensuring the authenticity and sustainability of these historic architectural treasures.