Journal of the Korean Housing Association ISSN:2234-3571(Print) 2234-2257(Online) 한국주거학회논문집

Maru is more of a luxury than a crucial living space. It serves an extra needs of becoming reception area, ceremonial space, and a common space for the family. This research aims to investigate the key factors that enable the inclusion of Maru in the layout of a traditional Korean house(Hanok). Kim Hong-Sik has provided a comprehensive survey data which includes 1,508 private houses from 1971 to 2001. Within this dataset, 327 samples are classified as Small-Sized Hanok, typically ranging in size from 2kan(間) to 4kan(間). As Maru is quite unaffordable for small-scale houses, the analysis focus on determining size factors influencing the adoption of Maru in such constrained spaces. First, it requires to have minimum 5 columns(equivalent to 4kan(間)) in the direction of the purlin(dori). However, this condition is insufficient, as only 26.6% in 4-kan houses feature a complete Maru kan. Subsequently, the length of the beam within the house layout is revealed as a pivotal factor enhancing the possibility of having Maru, or alternatively, a smaller counterpart known as Toi-Maru. The rise in the Maru-to-floor area ratio signifies that expanding beam dimensions promotes the accommodation of diverse Maru configurations. It prominently emerges in comparative analysis with other types of Korean housing.