Construction of a 30-story, 448m-tall building at Cheongna Lake Park
Foundation pile work to start within the year, completion expected in 2023
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] With the Incheon Cheongna City Tower, set to be the tallest observation tower in Korea, passing the landscape review, the construction project is gaining momentum.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced on the 15th that the landscape agenda for Cheongna City Tower and its complex facilities was conditionally approved at the recently held 12th Landscape Committee meeting.
The committee stipulated that for a sophisticated nighttime landscape, both media facades and landscape lighting should be reviewed simultaneously, and the landscape should be supplemented within the scope that does not damage the existing crystal image.
Following the approval of the landscape review, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority plans to expedite subsequent administrative procedures such as traffic impact assessment, architectural review, fire safety review, and preliminary disaster impact assessment to commence full-scale construction.
Cheongna City Tower is planned to be built on a 33,058㎡ site in the center of the Cheongna International City Lake Park, with a total project cost of 415.8 billion KRW. It will have 2 basement floors, 30 above-ground floors, and a total floor area of 96,469㎡. Since the groundbreaking ceremony in November last year, soil removal and retaining wall installation work have been underway, and foundation pile work is scheduled to begin within this year. The target completion year is 2023.
Originally, construction of Cheongna City Tower was scheduled to start in 2018, but before construction, a wind load test on the existing design revealed structural instability. Subsequently, a contract was signed with the U.S. design firm SMDP, and by April this year, a design modification was completed that secured the safety of the high-rise building while maintaining the original crystal facade as much as possible.
Upon completion, the 448m tall Cheongna City Tower will be the tallest observation tower in Korea and the sixth tallest tower in the world.
Currently, the tallest building in Korea is the Jamsil Lotte World Tower (555m, 123 floors). Among pure observation buildings without hotels, apartments, or officetels inside, Namsan Seoul Tower (236.7m) is the tallest.
Cheongna City Tower will feature an open-ceiling top floor and sky deck (30th floor), a high-floor observatory (27th?28th floors) offering views of the city and sea, and a glass floor (22nd floor) where visitors can enjoy thrills while walking on transparent glass floors.
Additionally, there will be a skywalk with 360-degree views (22nd?26th floors), an outdoor rooftop viewing area (11th floor), and a low-floor observatory (9th?10th floors), along with various shopping and exhibition complex facilities (from basement 2 to ground 3 floors).
On clear days, visitors can even see Kaesong in North Korea, and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority expects many domestic and international tourists to visit.
Lee Won-jae, head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, stated, "With the landscape review approval, we can smoothly proceed with the construction of the City Tower, a long-awaited project for residents of Cheongna International City. We will strive to make the City Tower a landmark building representing not only Cheongna but also our country."
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