Korea's Eco-Friendly Architecture Goes Beyond Home into the World

Published on 2013/07/07 | Source

What is eco-friendly architecture?

Eco-friendly architecture refers to architecture that promotes sustainable development. It is planned and designed for people and nature to coexist in harmony, providing a pleasant and healthy residential environment while minimizing environmental contamination through energy and resource conservation.

Until 2025, and in line with Korea's "Strategy for Revitalization of Green Buildings", all Korean apartment buildings will be built as "zero energy buildings" with minimal energy consumption. In addition, eco-friendly building management regulations, such as a "cap on total energy consumption" or "energy assessor", will be instituted to limit the building's energy consumption.

What kind of eco-friendly buildings are in Korea? Let's take a look at a few key eco-friendly buildings in Korea.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, which is expected to be completed by July 2013, acquired preliminary certification as "First Grade Eco-friendly Architecture", owing to its three dimensional photovoltaic power generation and geothermal power facilities, as well as roof garden installations. Also, the plaza is expected to be ranked as one of the Top 5 Biggest Irregular Buildings in the World.

The "Design Plaza" is an irregularly shaped building with three dimensional photovoltaic power generation facilities, a rooftop garden, LED lighting facilities, and rainwater utilization facilities installed. For the first time in Korea, the building also received preliminary certification as a "First Class Barrier Free Building". The building was also innovatively designed so that it resembles a dolphin or a spaceship, depending on the angle of view.

Built in Dongdaemun, the center of the Korean fashion industry, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza will be opened at 3 p.m. on March 3, 2014. We hope that the plaza will become a new landmark in Seoul, and the mecca of the Asian fashion and design industry.

2. Lotte World Tower

Lotte World Tower, formerly known as the Lotte World Premium Tower, is a 123-floor, 556 metre (1,824ft) supertall skyscraper currently under construction in the second-generation Lotte World complex in Seoul, South Korea. Upon completion in 2015, it is expected to become the tallest skyscraper in the developed world, surpassing the One World Trade Center in New York City, and housing the highest observation deck in the world, at 497.6 metres, on its 123rd-floor (Wikipedia).

In line with Korea's green growth policy, Lotte World Tower is being built as an eco-friendly green complex. A number of environment-friendly and new renewable energy systems, using cutting-edge technology, will be installed in the building. Specifically, a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system will be installed. With this system, solar power modules installed in various parts of the building will generate electricity. Lotte World Tower will also maximize its energy efficiency by using high temperature insulation glass and Organic Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting to reduce heat loss in the winter and keep out heat in the summer.

Through the use of new and sustainable renewable energy sources and IT technology, we hope Lotte World Tower will set an excellent precedent for the development of high-rise multi-complex buildings at home and abroad, as well as become a model for eco-friendly architecture.

3. SK CHEMICALS

The SK Chemicals building is an eco-friendly building where cutting edge eco-friendly energy and IT technology have been integrated and applied. This building attracted a lot of attention for combining eco-friendly technologies that, until then, had only been separately implemented and applying them to the construction of a building. Main technologies implemented in this building include geothermal, solar, and other natural energy production technologies, as well as water reduction technology using rainwater and underground water, and technology to increase the energy efficiency of facilities using panel coolers and heaters.

"Eco Lab", the main building of SK Chemicals, received the first platinum certification for a Korean building. This is the highest rating from the American green building certification system. It also received the highest score ever of 110 points out of a total of 136 points in the Green Building Certification Criteria (GBCC), evaluated by the Korean government. Furthermore, the building won the grand prize for private buildings at the 2011 Korean Architectural Culture Awards.

The Wall Stream in the lobby provides a water-friendly place for visitors. With the image of fir trees in the background, it gives a strong first impression and makes visitors feel as if they have just walked into a forest. Functionally, it reduces cooling load in the summer and assists with humidification in the winter.

The BIPV System is a highly effective lighting system that makes use of natural sunlight. Solar cell panels installed on the outside of the building allow the sunlight to be used as lighting. On sunny days, no other lights need to be turned on.

Furthermore, all finishing materials for the interior of the building were certified low pollutant emission and eco-friendly.

The SK Chemicals building consists of the best eco-friendly architecture in Korea. We hope more and more such eco-friendly buildings are constructed in Korea in the future. Moreover, we look forward to the day when Korea is globally recognized as a model nation for eco-friendliness.