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Construction crews are now working on the crown of the Lotte World Tower, a 123-storey mixed-use vertical city in Seoul. With an elegant tapering shape that resembles traditional Korean pottery and writing brushes, the skyscraping 555.7-metre project has become the tallest building on the Korean peninsula. It's a significant achievement for Lotte Group, a conglomerate with over 60,000 employees and diverse interests in the retail, hospitality, manufacturing, food, and chemical sectors.
The building's 12-storey podium contains premium health care, finance, and travel service centres and a multitude of restaurants. State-of-the-art office space occupies floors 14 to 38, with 'officetel' studio apartments above that stretch to the 71st floor. These units will offer hotel-like amenities and accommodations for people who work in the building. An ultra-luxury hotel will be perched near the top of the tower from floors 76 to 101. Situated above this, additional private office space will be provided, offering up dramatic views of Han River and Seokchon Lake. Finally, the top occupiable levels of the tower will house a multi-storey observation deck. No doubt on its way to becoming one of Seoul's most popular attractions, the space will also include an outdoor skywalk viewing point and cafe.
Seoul's vulnerability to earthquakes and typhoons demanded a strong, resistant design. The building has been engineered to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or higher and wind speeds of 128 metres per second, which is over 460 kilometres per hour. While the exterior has been built to defend itself from natural forces, the interior works to welcome and integrate the natural world. Aiming for LEED Gold certification, the building will incorporate a number of renewable energy systems for wind and solar power generation. Air conditioning and heating will be provided by a dedicated geothermal system and a heat pump system that will take advantage of the temperature differences in the Han River.
The base of the development is marked by the sprawling Lotte World Mall, which houses the largest luxury department store and the largest duty-free shop in the country. A broad collection of other retail outlets and restaurants are sprinkled throughout the complex. On the fifth floor, a unique shopping experience replicates the atmosphere of 1940s Jongno Street, one of Seoul's oldest thoroughfares. One floor above this, a food area mimics Myeongdong Street from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Set to open on August 18, 2016, the 2,000-seat Lotte Concert Hall will add a significant cultural component to the site, while the largest movie theatre in Asia serves as a venue for film screenings and business presentations. Records continue to be shattered in the complex's own aquarium, which features South Korea's longest freshwater tunnel and first underwater escalator tunnel.
Lotte World Tower is designed by prominent architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. As evidenced by recent photos from Forum contributor inno4321, the gentle curvature of the building is highlighted by light-toned silver glass and white lacquered metal fins. The monumental skyscraper now takes its place among the top ten tallest buildings in the world, with an opening scheduled for later this year.
Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
