Lotte Supertall Tower
The Lotte Supertall Tower is characterized first and foremost by its subtle use of the soft curve referencing the historical aspects of the traditional architecture and the general character of the landscape with the layered and rolling mountains and the strong anchoring to the natural world. These curves are then accentuated with secondary referencing of the vertical line as evidenced in the bay windows on the façade. This balancing of the soft curve and against the vertical is perhaps most easily described in the simple beauty of the gayageum. In fact, it is the very character of the elegance of the tone and meter of the music produced by the gayageum that relates directly to the Architecture of the tower. At the top of the tower, the forms dissipate into a lattice of structure that represents two arms reaching to the sky to reinforce the connection between sky and earth.
At the Lotte Supertall Tower, the lower floors of the tower contain the office space which is configured in a simple square, large floor plan to provide a cost effective base for the tower. As the tower program evolves to the sky, a curved tapering form provides a relative glass to floor area evolution which supports not only the functional and technical requirements but also the economic values of the space. The hotel and service apartment program is accommodated above the office space with the residential uses above that. The tower is then topped with a collection of public spaces such as clubs, restaurants, and an observatory to reinforce the accessible and public nature of the place.
