This computer simulation shows the

monumental dimensions of Lotte

World Tower.

Environmentally friendly energy supply for the world’s second-tallest building

Twelve heat pumps for supertall skyscraper in South Korea

A skyscraper of incomparable
dimensions is currently being built
in the South Korean capital of
Seoul. Lotte World Tower is part of
Lotte World II, a complex of shop-
ping malls and sports facilities in
the middle of the city. Lotte World
Tower is one of the most ambitious
projects to integrate environmen-
tally friendly energy supply in
highrises. After it is completed,
the tower will offer apartments,
commercial spaces and a hotel.
Second-tallest building
in the world
Featuring a height of 555 meters
including 123 floors above ground
and six below, the Lotte World
Tower will be taller than all other
buildings in Asia. After its comple-
tion scheduled for 2015, it will be
the tallest skyscraper in the Far
East and the second-tallest build-
ing in the world.
International architectural office
Kohn Pederson Fox Architects
(KPF) headquartered in New York
was occupied with the extensive
planning for 13 years. Construction
will be carried out by the build-
ing division of the Lotte Group, a
multinational corporation special-
ized in food and petrochemicals
with more than 56,000 employees
in South Korea.
The external envelope of the tower
consists of tinted glass and metal
elements that accentuate the
building. The aim of the architects
was to stylishly combine modern
elegance with traditional Korean
art.

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 Practical applications

720 geothermal probes

supply KWT heat pumps

12 KWT heat pumps provide re-

newable heating and cooling of the
Lotte World II complex including
the Lotte Tower. Six brine/water
heat pumps with 1.7 MW heat-
ing and 1.9 MW cooling output
each are fed by 720 geothermal
probes extending 200 meters into
the ground. Six water/water heat
pumps with 2 MW heating and
1.7 MW cooling output each will
also be installed, using water from
the river that flows by the tower.

The river water will first be

filtered and then fed through a
heat exchanger external to the
heat pumps, where heat will be
discharged to a brine liquid and
then transferred to the heat pump. containers will be transshipped to city” is thus conveniently located Work still continues on the founda-
The purpose of this additional step begin their long voyage by ocean. and can easily be reached by locals tions for the “vertical city.”
is so that only clean water flows After 36 days they will finally ar- and tourists. After it is completed,
through the evaporator to ensure rive in Busan in South Korea. The the tower will be home to retail
outstanding operational reliability heating center where the systems stores (floors 1-6), offices (floors
of the heat pumps. are to be installed is roughly 8,000 7-60), private apartments (61-85)
square meters in size. and a luxury hotel (86-119). The
Lotte Group itself will also have
Monitored by master control its headquarters here. The four
center “Vertical city” offers plenty topmost floors will be completely
of room for public and accessible to the public, and the
All twelve heat pumps operate in private use world’s largest viewing platform on tion began in spring 2011. The
cascade mode, controlled from a the 123rd floor will offer tourists a geothermal probes for the KWT
master control center. Total output Lotte World Tower and Lotte breathtaking view of Seoul. heat pumps have already been
is 22.2 MW of heating and World are located in Seoul’s installed during excavation work.
20.4 MW of cooling. southern district of Jamsil, directly After the building permit was is- Lotte World Tower is scheduled to
next to the Han river. The “vertical sued in November 2010, construc- be finished in 2015.
The heat pumps manufactured in
Switzerland have a long journey
ahead of them before arriving
in Seoul. At KWT they will first
be loaded into containers; the
systems are 5.5 meters long and
2.4 meters tall, and two of them
will fit in one container. They will
be shipped by truck to Basel and
then transferred to inland waterway
vessels. After seven days on the
Rhine, they will reach the Rotter-
dam North Sea port, where the

KWT heat pumps provide renewable

heating and cooling for the Lotte
World II complex.

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