Traditional Korean Roof Construction - Neowa (Shingle) Roof

Neowa (Shingle) Roof

Neowajib (a shingle-roofed house) can be seen in mountain villages (for example, in Gangwon-do), since these are places which are hard to get materials, such as Giwa and rice straw. Instead, it is made with the pieces of thick bark of about 200 years old red pine trees which are easy to get. The size of neowa is not fixed, but it is usually about 20~30cm wide, 40~59cm long and 4~5cm thickness. Usually 105~140 of neowa used to complete a roof. To protect neowa from the wind, heavy stones or logs were put on the roof. The air can be changed through the gaps between neowa, since there was no smokestack. When it rains, the wood with moisture can have a waterproof effect. In common, neowa's durability is around 5 years. However, it is not true that all of neowa changed at the same time. If there's rotten one it was replaced by new one. Neowajib has rooms, a kitchen and a cow shed under one square roof, to protect domestic animals from mountain beasts, and to keep warm in winter. As red pine trees disappear, neowajib disappear gradually. Finally there are only 3 neowajib in Korea.