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Located at the heart of New Songdo City, the mixed-use development is designed to attract top tier domestic and international companies to the new free trade zone. At a height of 305m, the 65-storey tower includes grade-A office space, six-star hotel and luxury residences; it was the tallest building in Korea when completed.
Arup integrated international standards with Korean code requirements to craft creative solutions that enabled the iconic design to be realised in a safe, cost-effective manner.
Innovative geometry
The tower features a trapezoid at the base which gradually transforms into a triangle at the top. The large base offers an ideal open space for office tenants, while the upper floors with shallower floor planes offer better views and light penetration suitable for a top tier residential programme.
The dynamic exterior elevation created by such a change in the shape of the plans considerably reduces wind impact on the building and ensures a more economical structural design than a box-shaped building could offer.
Sustainable strategies
The building is also a striking example of sustainable design. With a range of passive design strategies such as daylighting, natural ventilation and energy-efficient HVAC systems, the tower targets to achieve LEED® Silver certification.
Given the shortage of fresh water in Korea, Arup designed a greywater system to conserve and recycle water whenever possible. A central cogeneration facility supplies power and hot water to the tower. Trash from the tower is transported to a trash processing facility using an automated waste collection system consisting of vacuum pumps and large diameter pipes. At the trash processing facility, recyclables are separated and recycled and organic waste is incinerated to produce power.
