The Lotte World Tower, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (“KPF”), opened on Monday, April 3rd, 2017.
The 123-story, 555-meters-tall tower is now the tallest building in South Korea and the fifth tallest in the world. Housing a complex mix of office, “officetel”, hotel, retail and cultural program in a single, elegant form, the tower establishes a new paradigm for the “vertical city.”
Lotte World Tower’s sleek, tapered form is juxtaposed against the area’s mountainous topography, conveying a modern aesthetic informed by Korean artistry.
Its curvature, rendered in silver glass and filigrees of white lacquered metal, echoes the gracefulness of ceramics and calligraphy. The tower’s location in the Jamsil district points to historical Seoul and Namsam Mountain, defining the site’s importance within a multi-center city.
Lotte World Tower is KPF’s fifth design on the list of world’s ten tallest buildings joining Ping An Finance Centre (4th), CTF Finance Centre (7th), the Shanghai World Financial Center (9th), and International Commerce Centre (10th).
In a complex anticipated to host over 50 million visitors a year, the Lotte World Tower will offer visitors spectacular views of Seoul, accessed by the world’s fastest elevator and made more dramatic by the world’s highest glass-bottomed observation deck. Source and photos, Courtesy of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.