khris
Senior Member
AS+GG designs head office building for Federation of Korean Industries
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture has designed the new head office building for the Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul, South Korea. AS+GG won an international competition to design the project. At more than 240 metres, the tower will be among the tallest buildings in Korea.
Adrian Smith said: “Our hope is that the building will provide a new, lasting icon for Seoul’s skyline. The design demonstrates the power of precise, high-performance, contextually appropriate architecture.”
Gordon Gill added: “FKI is comprised of over 500 Korean companies, and this building will represent the desire of that collaborative initiative to be a leader in exemplary, sustainable architecture. We’ve incorporated an innovative, multi-faceted exterior wall system that we hope will serve as a new paradigm for future high-performance development.”
The building skin is designed to help reduce the internal heating and cooling loads of the tower and collect energy by integrating photovoltaic panels into the spandrel areas of the southwest and northwest facades, which receive a significant amount of direct sunlight per day. By angling the spandrel panels 30 degrees upward toward the sun, the design team maximised the amount of energy collected, generating enough power to help maintain the electrical systems throughout the tower core and the office space.
Just below the spandrel panels, the vision panels are angled 15 degrees downward toward the ground, minimising the amount of direct sun radiation and glare. Together, the alternating spandrel and vision panels create a dynamically rippled façade that is both environmentally progressive and visually striking, giving the tower a unique architectural presence on the skyline.
AS+GG is collaborating with engineering firms Thornton Tomasetti and Environmental Systems Design and local firm Chang-Jo Architects on the project. The building is scheduled to break ground this year, with completion slated for 2013.