• Cj fki 201310 011-extended
  • 1 fki overall exterior
  • Fki ext-exterioroverallclose2 (c)as+gg
  • Fki exterior detail
  • Cj fki 201310 035
  • 3 fki podium exterior
  • 4 fki podium interior 1
  • 5 fki podium interior 2

 

FKI Tower

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Completed in January 2014, FKI Tower is the new headquarters building for the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and is a major addition to the skyline of Seoul, Korea. FKI represents major Korean companies such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai Motors.

The new headquarters is located on Yeoi-Dae-Roh, the main through-road in Seoul and is now a prominent fixture among the wall of marquee buildings along the road, directly across the street from Yeoido Park. The tower’s position guarantees spectacular views on all sides, adding to the world-class setting similar to New York’s Central Park or Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The 50-story, 240-meter tower features an innovative exterior wall, designed specifically for the project. The building’s unique skin helps reduce internal heating and cooling loads and collects energy through photovoltaic panels that are integrated into the spandrel areas of the southwest and northwest facades.

The concept for FKI Tower was developed by combining the client’s request for a building that was contextual to the predominantly orthogonal architecture of the Yeoido District and the city’s requirement that all new large-scale commercial buildings generate a minimum of 5% of their energy onsite. The design team developed a strategy that would meet both requirements as well as reduce the amount of energy that the building used for its heating and cooling loads. The use of building integrated photovoltaic panels (BIPV) was seen as an architecturally appealing way to meet the strict zoning requirement, while the optimization of the panels became a driving factor in developing the architectural expression.

FKI Tower's exterior wall system combines maximum access to views, energy efficiency strategies and energy generation technologies. By angling the spandrel panels 30 degrees toward the sun, the amount of energy collected by the photovoltaic panels is maximized. Below the spandrel panels, the vision panels are angled 15 degrees toward the ground, minimizing the amount of direct sun radiation and glare. The end result is a unique folded exterior texture that is both purposeful and visually distinctive. Benefits include a reduction of glare and heat gains from direct sunlight, while maintaining a high level of indirect light. With the exception of the early morning and the late afternoon periods, the building is able to use the geometry of the exterior wall to self-shade the perimeter spaces that would normally be inundated with direct sunlight. This gives the building occupants the flexibility to open the shades and allow indirect natural light.

The site organization was rearranged from the original competition brief by sliding the tower to the west. This opened up more site frontage and allowed the podium to be closer to the street. This positioning gave the podium a presence and identity unavailable if it was located behind the tower. The new arrangement also allows more space for outdoor landscaped courtyards for public use. The building’s site takes advantage of the neighboring parks, positioned so that arrival sequences for pedestrians, subway commuters and VIP parkers are landscaped to extend the park setting into the building ground plane.

The tower’s interior includes several indoor garden and atrium spaces that enhance the workplace environment with natural elements of wood, bamboo and other native plants. The interior of the building takes advantage of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the exterior wall, offering an abundance of natural light to office spaces and corridors as well as extensive views of neighboring Yeoido Park, the Han River and the surrounding city.

FKI Tower features an expansive rooftop atrium garden that also has custom photovoltaic panels. The ideal angle of the panel placement on the roof was studied in detail. In a relatively unconfined space photovoltaic panels are angled upward at 30 degrees but within the limited area of FKI’s roof, it was determined that a 10-degree angle allowed for more panels to be installed closer together, minimizing the effect of the panels casting shadows on each other and ultimately producing more solar energy for the building. When analyzing the roof skylight photovoltaic panels, it was equally important to account for self-shading so that enough natural light would be let into the sky garden below. The garden is planted with Korean Boxwood, a lush and hearty shrub that is also low-maintenance. The rooftop atrium also has several seating and viewing areas that tenants can sit and enjoy views of the surrounding city.

The sculptural podium piece is located on central Yeoi-Dae-Ro Avenue, further promoting the tower’s public identity. The podium amenities, available for public use, include a banquet hall, a central restaurant and a conference center. The podium is available for international conferences with a large first floor banquet hall and smaller conference rooms of various sizes located on the second and third floors.

FKI Tower clearly illustrates advancement in building facades from simple wall systems to high-performance, integrated architectural and engineering design solutions. The design team worked to create an intelligent, high-performing, forward-looking building that exhibited timeless and enduring qualities.

may 16 | Design Diffusion
Playing with Angles
FKI Tower is a major addition to the skyline of Seoul, Korea... MORE


jan 15  |  American-Architects 
Building of the Week: FKI Tower
Resembling a simple glass-box office building from a distance, up close the 50-story FKI Tower reveals a simple yet ingenious wall section that incorporates solar panels angled to absorb more of the sun's rays than a strictly vertical surface... MORE


27 oct 14  | World-Architects Daily News
AIA Chicago Award Winners
The Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of the 2014 Design Excellence Awards given in four categories: Distinguished Building, Interior Architecture, Divine Detail, and Unbuilt Design... MORE


25 feb 14  | Civil Engineering
Angled Facade Boosts Energy Efficiency
The Federation of Korean Industries building, in Seoul, South Korea, features a high-performance curtain-wall system that deflects sunlight and generates energy... MORE


28 jan 14  | Architect
The New Seoul Skyscraper
The FKI tower designed by AS+GG serves as a testament to how creativity and technology drive the Korean economy... MORE


24 jan 14  | World Architecture News
Unique facade for FKI headquarters
Federation of Korean Industries open the doors to their new AS+GG-designed offices... MORE


23 jan 14 | AS+GG Press Release
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture’s New Building for the Federation of Korean Industries is Now Open in Seoul, Korea
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) has announced the public opening of the new head offices for the Federation of Korean Industries... MORE


29 oct 10 | inhabitat.com
Korean tower boasts one of the world's most efficient solar facades
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture recently announced the groundbreaking of the solar-powered Federation of Korean Industries Tower in Seoul, which will incorporate an advanced photovoltaic wall system that reduces energy usage while generating power... MORE


sep 10 | AS+GG Press Release
Head Office for the Federation of Korean Industries Breaks Ground
Construction of the Head Office for the Federation of Korean Industries, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, began with a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 29 in Seoul, South Korea... MORE


may 10 | Concept Magazine
New Head Office of the Federation of Korean Industries
The new head office of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) in a simple and gracefull appearance will be a symbolic building for the whole view of Seoul City... MORE


11 feb 10 | The Architect's Newspaper
Unveiled: Federation of Korean Industries Tower
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture's Seoul tower features a pleated, BIPV-paneled facade... MORE


jan 10 | AS+GG Press Release
AS+GG Designs Head Office Building for Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture announced today that it has designed the new head office building for the Federation of Korean Industries in Seoul, South Korea... MORE

Owner/Developer
Federation of Korean Industries


Main Contractor
Hyundai Engineering & Construction Design


Architect of Record
Chang-Jo Architects


Structural Engineer, Façade Consultant
Thornton Tomasetti


Local Structural Engineer
Dong Yang Structural Engineers Co., Ltd.


MEP Engineer
Environmental Systems Design, Inc.


Local MEP Engineer
Hanil MEC. Engineering Co., Ltd


Civil Engineering
V3 Companies


Cost Estimators
Construction Cost Systems


Landscape
SWA Group


Vertical Transportation
Fortune Consultants, Ltd.


Façade Maintenance
Lerch Bates


Fire Protection
Rolf Jensen & Associates


Wind
Rowan Williams Davies and Irwin Inc.


Acoustics
Shen Milsom Wilke, Inc.

2017

The American Architecture Prize, Architectural Design | Tall Buildings, Winner, FKI Tower

2016

Re-Thinking the Future, Sustainability Award, First Award, Commercial, FKI Tower

AIA Chicago, Divine Detail Award, FKI Tower BIPV

The Chicago Athenaeum, International Architecture Award, FKI Tower

2015

The Chicago Athenaeum, Green Good Design Award, Green Architecture, FKI Tower

2015 Civic Trust Awards, Civic Trust Award, FKI Tower

2014

Korean Architecture Award, Excellence Award, FKI Tower

Korea Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy, Korea Green Building Award, FKI Tower

Re-Thinking the Future, Sustainability Award, Honorable Mention, FKI Tower

Chicago AIA, Distinguished Building Award, Citation of Merit, FKI Tower

CTBUH, Best Tall Building Asia and Australasia, Finalist, Federation of Korean Industries 

SEAOI, Excellence in Structural Engineering Award, Winner, Best Project $150 million and over

Architizer A+ Award, Office Building High Rise, Finalist, Federation of Korean Industries