I've some information here and links to go to for more.. followed by some of my favorite Hanok houses. Hanoks are environmental friendly. Natural resources such as stone, wood and paper are all used to build this house. The Korean paper called Hanji which is made from the bark of a mulberry tree is stuck on every flat surface inside the home, which includes the walls, doors, ceilings and floors. It has excellent insulating capacity and it also adjusts humidity levels by absorbing excess moisture in the air and evaporating it when the air is dry.
Hanoks are also characterized by their dual flooring, ondol and maru, which fit together like yin and yang. Ondol is stone flooring for the winters, heated from below by a fire in a heating system unique to hanok. Maru is raised wood flooring which is both porous and cool in summer. This dual floor design marks how hanok deviates from the typical Chinese architecture of the Tang era.
sources: Hanok Traditional Korean House; 5 reasons to stay hanok while traveling Korea









