The tallest skyscraper in South Korea is complete
With 123 floors over 1,819 feet, the Lotte Tower has become the tallest building in Seoul, the third highest in Asia and the fifth tallest in the world. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), who also built One Vandabilt in New York and the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Lotte Tower incorporates luxury hotel and retail spaces, officetels, in addition to an observation deck and rooftop café, providing stunning views of the region and sufficient outdoor space for tourists and locals within Seoul.
Inspired by Korean arts, such as calligraphy within the building’s overall design and use of white lacquered metal and glass, the tower has also been constructed to gain LEED Gold standard, embedding irrigation systems and energy efficient features, such as photo-voltaic panels and wind turbines throughout the build.
Around 3,000 tonnes of steel have been embedded within the building’s roof structure, which is impressively supported without reinforcements, becoming self-supported. Noting the building’s location, the tower has also been constructed to factor in extreme weather conditions, such as earthquakes, where the build will remain standing in earthquakes reaching 9 on the Richter scale.