What are the differences between early American architecture and Korean architecture? American architecture is a hybrid of many types, mainly from Europe. New England, as you might guess, was originally settled by colonists from England, remaking what they considered a “wilderness” into a new England, quite literally. They kept their traditional housing, with little consideration for the architecture or lifestyles of the Native Americans. They also introduced the concept of private property (owned and used by a single party) to the “New World”, with many consequences. In contrast, Korea had retained the idea of owning land for many hundreds of years, with most of the landholdings belonging to an upper class, much like Europe. Korea followed Confucian, not Christian, ideals, which translated to separating male and female spaces.
Korea also had ondol heating, which allowed the home to be heated much more comfortably than in European homes, which relied on hearths throughout the house. So while European homes built up to retain the heat as much as possible, Korean upper class homes spread out luxuriously over the land.