63 Building

The 63 Building (Korean: 63 빌딩 or 육삼 빌딩), officially called 63 SQUARE[3] (formerly Hanwha 63 City), is a skyscraper on Yeouido island, overlooking the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It was designed by Harry D Som and Helen W Som, principals of Som and Associates of San Francisco. (The building has been falsely attributed to the SOM design firm, which is inaccurate.)[4] At 250 meters (819 ft) high, it was the tallest building outside North America when it opened in July 1985, and remains the tallest gold-clad structure in the world. It stood as South Korea's tallest building until the Hyperion Tower surpassed it in 2003, but remained the country's tallest commercial building until the Northeast Asia Trade Tower was topped-out in 2009.[5] Lotte World Tower in 2017 became Korea's tallest skyscraper.

63 building
General information
LocationYeoui Island, Seoul, South Korea
Coordinates37°31′09.76″N 126°56′24.76″E
OpenedJuly 1985
OwnerHanwha Group
(Hanwha 63 City Corp.)
Height
Antenna spire274 m (899 ft)
Roof250 m (820 ft)[1]
Top floor249 m (817 ft)
Technical details
Floor count60 (3 underground)
Floor area166,207 m (545,299 ft)[2]
Lifts/elevators6
Design and construction
ArchitectHarry D Som and Helen W Som, Som & Associates, architects, San Francisco
Website
http://www.63realty.co.kr/
63 Building
Hangul
63(육삼) 빌딩
Hanja
六三 빌딩
Revised RomanizationYuksam Bilding
McCune–ReischauerYuksam Pilting

The 63 Building was built as a landmark for the 1988 Summer Olympics. 63 is something of a misnomer since only 60 floors are above ground level. Floors 61-63 are restricted areas. The skyscraper is the headquarters of Korea Life Insurance, Industrial Bank of Korea Securities, and other major financial companies.

The design of the structure is based on the Hanja character for person or human being (人 or in) in a subtle reference by the designers to the business of Daehan Life, the insurance company that constructed the building.

History

Construction

The 63 Building's construction broke ground in February 1980, at the height of South Korea's economic boom. It was built at a cost of 180 billion won, and construction was completed in May 1985. It was originally named the DLI 63 building, for Daehan Life Insurance.[6] In 2000, Hanwha Group renamed the building 63 City and it became part of the group in 2002.[7]

63 Building and Present

It was temporarily opened on July 5, 1985, and the completion ceremony was fully opened on July 27, the same year, and was held on September 30. It was the tallest building in the world when excluding North America, beating the Sunshine 60 building in Tokyo, Japan at the time of its completion, before the OUB center was built in Singapore in 1987 and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong in 1990. During the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the torch was lit at the Bonghwadae in front of the 63 Building, and it became famous around the world. Originally, it was the headquarters of Korea Life Insurance of Shindonga Group, but it was dismantled in 1997 due to the IMF, and the 63 Building was moved to Hanwha Group. The Seoul World Fireworks Festival began in 2000 and was canceled in 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and the event dates were adjusted in consideration of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. It has been designated as an official World Cup cultural event. The 63 Building was also owned by Hanwha Group when Korea Life Insurance (currently Hanwha Life Insurance) was acquired and incorporated into Hanwha Group in September. The total land area is 21,430 square meters (6,483 pyeong) and 166,097 square meters (50,305 pyeong).

If you look at the details of the 63 Building's new refurbishment, which was carried out in the first and second stages of remodeling, a total of 13,944 exterior wall glass sheets were completely replaced during the second phase of construction, especially for the purpose of securing safety. The first phase of construction began in February 2005 and was completed in July 2009, while the second phase began construction in March 2010. In 2012, the evacuation safety zone was set up on the 21st and 38th floors of the 63 Building, and was renovated in April 2013. The second phase was completed in May 2013, the third phase began construction in July 2011, and the second phase was completed on January 12, 2014, and the carpet tile construction was carried out on January 18, the same year. In May 2015, the 63 Building celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special 30% discount event to mark the 30th anniversary of the opening of the 63 Restaurant. In July 2016, the third phase of construction was completed.

Facilities

The 60th floor houses the world's highest art gallery and an observation deck known as the 63 Golden Tower, that allows visitors to see as far as Incheon on clear days. The 59th floor features international restaurants called Walking in the Cloud, while the 58th floor houses family restaurants called Touch the Sky. Observation elevators equipped with windows enable passengers to view the city on their way to/from the observation deck. In the evening, some elevators are available exclusively for couples. These are known as Love Elevators which give guests a one-minute ride. The lower floors house an indoor shopping mall with approximately 90 stores, an IMAX theater, and a large aquarium. A convention center and banquet hall are also housed within the building.

Utilization charge
Visiting facilities over 19 years of age 13 to 18 years of age 36 months and over 12 years old.
63art ₩13000 ₩12000 ₩11000
aqua planet 63 ₩25000 ₩23000 ₩21000

The 63 Building is featured in the 2000 computer game SimCity 3000 Unlimited and is featured on its cover. In the game, it can be built as a landmark titled the 'Korea Life Building'. It also appeared in a sequel game, SimCity 4, as a DLC landmark building.

  • At sunrise, the 63 Building begins to glow.
  • For twenty minutes at sunrise, the eastern side of the building is blindingly bright.

See also

References
  1. http://skyscrapercenter.com/seoul/kli-63-building/891/ Archived April 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Entry for the KLI 63 Building on The Skyscraper Center (database).
  2. "KLI 63 Building". Skyscraper Center. CTBUH. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  3. "63스퀘어". www.63art.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  4. "Yesterday's Today 1985 63 Building Completion". The Kyunghyang Shinmun. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  5. "Mok-dong Hyperion Towers, Seoul". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  6. "DLI 63 Building, Seoul - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com.
  7. "63빌딩".
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