The Topographical Location Characteristics of the Buildings in Magoksa Temple in Gongju City

The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence of topographical factors such as ridges, elevation, slope, aspect, and building orientation on the selection of the site for the buildings of Magoksa Temple in Gongju City. The results are as follows: First, Although the ridge scale influenced the elevation, there was no dominant ridge direction affecting the building locations, indicating that ridge direction was not a significant factor in building placement. Second, the buildings are distributed at elevations between 105 to 126 meters without clustering at any specific elevation, indicating that elevation was not a key consideration in site selection. Third, most of the buildings are located on fluvial terraces or artificially flattened areas, suggesting that slope played an important role in determining building locations. Fourth, the majority of buildings are located on slopes facing south or southeast, with their orientations mainly towards the south, southwest, or southeast, suggesting that solar exposure was considered in the site selection process. In conclusion, for the site selection of the buildings at Magoksa Temple, slope, aspect, building orientation, and ridge scale were important factors, while elevation and ridge direction were not significant.