While the Japanese legacy remained in Korean urban planning even after the country's independence following the Second World War, direct influence from Western countries became available through various aid programmes. Amongst planning-related programmes, the Asia Foundation's HURPI (Housing, Urban and Regional Planning Institute), led by Oswald Nagler, an urban planning consultant, was noteworthy in its experimental approach and influence. HUPRI's urban planning approach focussed on minimum dwelling studies which reflected Korea's housing traditions, culture and economic conditions, and expanded them to large-scale planning. Even though literature on modern Korean planning history has acknowledged HURPI, its minimum dwelling approach is rarely mentioned, mainly because of the lack of documentation. By recovering unpublished materials personally kept by HURPI members and interviewing key individuals, this paper identifies the contents and the meaning of HURPI's minimum dwelling approach in the history of architecture and urban planning in South Korea. Comparative analyses with Western precedents and works by other Korean planning agencies at the time are also considered in order to understand HURPI's approach, and to identify how imported architectural and planning methodologies responded to Korean local contexts.

While the Seokguram Grotto is celebrated in art history for its sculptural mastery, its architectural identity as a constructed stone dome—distinct from excavated caves—remains under-researched. Existing studies have largely relied on geometric analyses based on irrational numbers, which lack a historical basis. This study aims to reconstruct the logical design process of Seokguram by distinguishing between architectural planning and the realities of construction. Methodologically, we employ the concept of design constraints to analyze the grotto’s dimensional system and scene perception. We identify external constraints, such as the recorded dimensions of the Bodhgaya Buddha and cosmological symbolism (rectangular antechamber and circular posterior), and internal constraints, specifically the need for complete visual coordination between the Buddha’s head and the detached nimbus stone. Our analysis reveals that the designers negotiated these constraints through an iterative process. Key findings demonstrate that the pedestal’s height and position were adjusted, and the arched headstone was strategically designed as a threshold to ensure the perfect alignment of the Buddha and the nimbus from the viewer’s perspective. Furthermore, contrary to previous hypotheses proposing the use of irrational numbers (e.g., √2), this study proves that the grotto follows a proportional system based on integer modules (with 12 cheok as the main module) and binary division, which facilitated practical construction. In conclusion, Seokguram is not merely a product of aesthetic intuition but a masterpiece of rational design. In contrast to the vertical transcendence of Western Cathedrals, Seokguram Grotto embodies tectonics of empathy, prioritizing human-scale intimacy and visual harmony.