Cha Taekwon: Dad, what is architecture?

Food, clothing, and shelter are the most basic necessities for human survival. As countries become more developed, they create a wider variety of healthy, delicious foods, and people can afford clothes made from quality materials that express their individuality and feature beautiful designs. Yet comfortable, secure housing remains a serious social problem. Poor people are unable to live in proper homes; homeownership becomes a class marker that separates social status; and corruption and crime surrounding housing can lead to tragedies in which innocent people lose their lives. In a country that is the global center of the strange phenomenon of apartments accounting for more than 70 percent of housing, it is considered normal to pay in advance for an apartment that will not be ready for years, based only on a supply plan before construction has even begun. Most people live in apartments with nearly identical layouts; location and floor area determine social class; and people seek security and satisfaction in market-set monetary value rather than in the quality of life that architecture can create in a home. Is this really right? This graphic book was created through collaboration between an architect who has studied architecture for a long time and worked in the field, and a designer specializing in picture books, graphic novels, and visual design. It carefully examines what a home means to people, the essence of architecture, the historical background and defining features of Western architecture, and the characteristics of Eastern architecture. It also introduces, through a range of examples and information, the similarities and differences among architecture in Korea, China, and Japan and the philosophies behind them.

Korean title: 아빠, 건축이 뭐예요?

Korean author: 차태권

Korean publisher: 이숲

ISBN-13: 9791191131741