South Korea's tallest building, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, has opened. The Northeast Asia Trade Tower stands at 308 meters and is the focal point of the Songdo International Business District, a new 310-hectare city built on reclaimed land.
The skyscraper's structure was finished in 2011, Dezeen reports, but the interior was only recently completed due to financial difficulties during the recession. On the glass exterior, a series of triangular planes divide the surface as it tapers up towards the top. Inside the 68-story building are apartments, offices and a hotel.
The Songdo development began less than a decade ago and was supposed to be completed this year; however, the £20 billion city is now slated for completion in 2018. A green oasis modeled on Central Park and the 487-meter Incheon Tower are some of the other projects slated for Songdo.
The tower includes high-performance glazing and external shading devices help to reduce heat build-up on the interior. Low-flow plumbing fixtures, grey-water recycling, and rainwater collection have also been implemented to reduce water consumption.
Check out photos of the tower (photos: H.G. Esch, courtesy of Kohn Pedersen Fox):
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture/Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture/engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 17, 2014
A new, vibrant waterfront for the capital
Plans to improve Washington D.C.'s Potomac River waterfront by Maine Ave. have been discussed for years. Finally, The Wharf has started its first phase of construction.
| Jul 17, 2014
A harmful trade-off many U.S. green buildings make
The Urban Green Council addresses a concern that many "green" buildings in the U.S. have: poor insulation.
| Jul 17, 2014
A high-rise with outdoor, vertical community space? It's possible! [slideshow]
Danish design firm C.F. Møller has developed a novel way to increase community space without compromising privacy or indoor space.
| Jul 17, 2014
How the 'pop-up' retail concept can be applied to workplace design
“Pop-up” has rapidly become one of the most pervasive design trends in recent years. It has given us pop-up shops and pop-up restaurants, but can it be applied to the professional work environment?
Sponsored | | Jul 17, 2014
A major hop forward
The construction of efficient metal buildings has helped Perrault Farms expand its hops-harvesting business.
| Jul 17, 2014
22 land questions to decide if your build site works
When you’re ready to build, land needs a serious amount of attention. Since it can singlehandedly shift your building plans, land must be investigated, questioned, and eyed from every angle. SPONSORED CONTENT