Textures of Seoul

The Korean peninsula has many mountains and lots of granite. It’s understandable that granite is used for building and surface treatments. There are also many other kinds of materials for construction, bamboo, wood varieties, and other types of stone.

These look like primitive totems don't they?

Yet the sense I get is that Korean builders really enjoy using textures for their own sake. Sometimes it might be to reference a style of architecture, other times it makes sense as a no-slip surface. But I don’t think that the beauty of natural textures is lost to these builders or overwhelmed by their practicality.

This is a very fancy floor in a modern office building.

Here is a more or less random selection of surface treatments that I have photographed.

Public building

Ground detail

Fence post and walkway

Street bench and memorial?

Don't know what this is

Corner of building

Small tree wrapped in straw for winter

Side of building


Door detail

Straw mat around tree

Stone carvings

A street

From sidewalk to building entrance (with toes of shoes)

A street

Side of building


A sidewalk planter

Restaurant window, surely an architectural reference

Detail of restaurant window

An entryway to a restaurant


A shop using half-timber architecture


A shop using half-timber architecture

A stone lined embankment

A back door, a utility door

A corner


A corner

A palaza

A public thing, not really sure.

A curb and street.

A door on a street with shops

An alleyway