American skyscrapers and their influence on the development of Korean highrise office buildings

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to clarify the procedure and results of American influence on the development of Korean highrise buildings. The American skyscraper has been one of the most prominent architectural accomplishments in the twentieth century and influenced the development of highrise buildings in many developing countries as a prototype. This research attempted to examine the value of the American skyscraper as a generator of influence through the comparative study with the highrise buildings in Korea. The highrise buildings of the two countries, selected from main architectural periodicals, are compared through three categories for each decade from 1950 to 1989: building design (building form, core type, and elevation), building technology (finishing materials and structural system), and urban aspects (exterior space). American influence produced several important effects on the Korean highrise building. For the beginning of the Korean highrise buildings, American influence has been indispensable. Furthermore, Korea has accumulated the current capability for highrise building in such a short period much through the American influence. However, the development which was based on the influence has caused the Korean highrise buildings to experience the absence of regional originality and the extinction of architectural tradition.