{"id":133511,"date":"2025-11-11T06:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T06:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/133511\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T06:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T06:18:11","slug":"kengo-kuma-plans-stacked-lotte-tower-for-busan-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/133511\/","title":{"rendered":"kengo kuma plans stacked lotte tower for busan, korea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>kengo kuma\u2019s Vertical Landscape Along the Port<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-korea\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">South Korea<\/a>\u2018s coastal city of Busan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/kengo-kuma\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/a> have completed the Busan Lotte Tower, a fluid glass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/skyscraper-architecture-and-design\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">skyscraper<\/a> rising from the former City Hall site. The project stands at the meeting point of land and sea, its form shaped by the surrounding harbor and the patterns of movement that define the port. The tower\u2019s facade captures the rhythm of waves drawn by passing ships, and expresses the city\u2019s maritime identity through its texture and fluid, reflective surfaces.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Horizontal bands ripple across the exterior, tracing a continuous line around the building. These curved bands blur the distinction between spandrel and vision glass, softening the vertical rise into a fluid gesture that reflects the changing surface of the sea. The glass shifts from transparent to gently tinted to mirror the light and color of Busan\u2019s coastal sky.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1163545 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"kengo kuma busan lotte\" width=\"818\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-01.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rhythm and Material of lotte tower<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Busan Lotte Tower is shaped by Kengo Kuma and Associates as a stack of curved transparent volumes. This vertical stack is reflected through the internal program, each layer subtly offset to suggest motion. This composition produces an interplay of concave and convex surfaces, echoing the undulation of waves. The materials \u2014 glass, aluminum, and finely detailed louvers \u2014 allow light to shimmer across the facade while maintaining a calm rhythm that tempers the building\u2019s scale.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the upper levels, the horizontal lines of the fa\u00e7ade dissolve into slender fins. These become louvers that filter sunlight and wind, creating a transitional space at the rooftop observatory. Here, the city, sea, and sky meet in a single panoramic field. The observatory appears to float above the harbor, its light structure open to the shifting air and the horizon beyond.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1163546 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"kengo kuma busan lotte\" width=\"818\" height=\"705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-02.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Integration with Context of busan, korea<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Busan Lotte Tower extends the city\u2019s dialogue with the sea. Kengo Kuma\u2019s approach avoids monumentality, favoring continuity with the surrounding landscape. The tower reflects its context rather than asserting contrast, allowing the movement of light and water to animate its surface throughout the day. Seen from the port, the building reads as a vertical extension of the shoreline \u2014 its shimmering facade absorbing the hues of sunrise and dusk.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the evening, soft interior light brings the horizontal lines into subtle relief, giving the impression of an illuminated current rising through the tower. From street level, the curved glass volumes frame glimpses of activity inside, linking the rhythm of urban life with the broader cadence of the harbor.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1163547 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"kengo kuma busan lotte\" width=\"818\" height=\"652\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-03.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1163549 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"kengo kuma busan lotte\" width=\"818\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-05.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1163548 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"kengo kuma busan lotte\" width=\"818\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-04.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> 1\/2<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-06.jpg\" width=\"818\" height=\"614\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kengo-kuma-associates-busan-lotte-tower-korea-designboom-07.jpg\" width=\"818\" height=\"614\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>project info:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>name:\u00a0Busan Lotte Tower<\/p>\n<p>architect: <a href=\"https:\/\/kkaa.jp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kengo Kuma &amp; Associates<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kkaa_official\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@kkaa_official<\/a><\/p>\n<p>location:\u00a0Busan, South Korea<\/p>\n<p>status:\u00a0ongoing<\/p>\n<p>visualizations:\u00a0\u00a9 Kengo Kuma and Associates<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>team: Seungjun Lee, Doyup Lee, Daihoon Kim, Cheuk Lam Chan, Rikuro Sakaushi, Edward WooHyun Chung, Fumitake Suzuki (CG)<br \/>construction: Lotte Construction<br \/>structure: ARUP, CNP<br \/>facility: Samoo Architects &amp; Engineers<br \/>exterior: LHYn<br \/>illumination: EONSLD<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"kengo kuma\u2019s Vertical Landscape Along the Port \u00a0 In South Korea\u2018s coastal city of Busan, Kengo Kuma and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[11932,307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60,65440,32742,1015],"class_list":{"0":"post-133511","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architecture-in-korea","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-artsdesign","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-ireland","17":"tag-kengo-kuma","18":"tag-skyscraper-architecture-and-design","19":"tag-where-people-work"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}