October 11, 2011
by Nathaniel Hollister
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International Finance Center complex overview
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Seoul has recently become a financial capital in Northeast Asia, and now enjoys a status similar to that of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and other Asian cities. This recent change has brought about tremendous development for the city, with a dramatic increase in significant tall building development since 2000. Currently, the city has an incredible eight 250 meter-plus projects that are under construction or planned. One of these buildings, Three International Finance Center, designed by Arquitectonica with structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti, was the subject of a technical tour at the CTBUH 2011 Seoul Conference. The building is part of a large complex named the International Finance Centre which contains four towers of 29, 32, 38, and 55 stories, as well as several low-rise retail facilities. Three International Finance Center, at a finished height of 284 meters, will be the tallest of the towers within the complex. In fact, the building will become Seoul’s tallest building upon completion in 2012. In total, the complex will provide some 500,000 m2 of office, hotel, retail, and cultural space to Seoul. The project team was well represented on the tour, with representatives from architect Arquitectonica, structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti, and contractor GS Engineering & Construction.
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Three International Finance Center
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Structure construction |
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The IFC project, already a significant piece of Seoul’s skyline with two buildings topped-out and two in advanced stages of construction, was visible from miles away as the CTBUH Tour buses approached the project. Upon arriving at the base of the buildings, the towers’ sharp, angular lines shot into the sky and disappeared from view. CTBUH Delegates quickly spread out around the perimeter of the complex and craned necks and cameras to capture the best views of the project. After a few minutes on the exterior of the complex grounds, the delegates were taken to a make-shift presentation room in what is currently called Tower C (eventually to be known as One International Finance Center). There the tour delegates leaned a bit more about the project’s structural and construction techniques. The towers use steel columns and framing consisting of composite steel beams with concrete on metal deck.
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| View toward N Seoul Tower from IFC |
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KLI 63 Building next to Han River
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Additionally, the towers implement concrete core walls and outrigger trusses on the upper mechanical floors. After a short and informative presentation on the complex and current construction status, delegates were brought to the base of the now-topped out, 55-story Three International Finance Center, the main focus of the tour. The tower occupies a central location in the IFC complex, and while the site is still very much under construction, delegates were able to imagine the environment that the finished complex will create. As the delegates ascended in construction lifts, anticipation grew along with height. The rough concrete floor slabs, visible through the lift’s steel cage, passed by quickly: 52, 53, 54, 55. The lift brought the delegates to the roof of the building, where framing for the building’s glass curtain wall was already well advanced, reaching some 6 meters above roof level. At the center of the roof, the building’s core and structure extended to the height of the cladding framing, where a helipad would eventually be complete. From the 270+ meter-high vantage of Three IFC’s roof, the views of Seoul from are simply astounding. The city stretches out below in all directions, seeming endless. The views Three IFC provides are unmatched except perhaps by the iconic N Seoul Tower, on Namsam Hill.
The tour spent some 30 minutes walking the entire perimeter of the tower, and getting a fantastic 360-degree view of the city. The tour was then brought back to the base of the tower, where delegates were given a few minutes to photograph the busy construction site. Finally, each tour participant was presented with a small gift, and after a quick group photograph, boarded the buses back to the CTBUH Conference.
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Group photograph
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