Lotte World Tower

Seoul, South Korea

Lotte World Tower

Seoul, South Korea

The Lotte World Tower rises 555 meters above the city of Seoul – the country’s first building to exceed 100 floors. Inspired by traditional Korean art forms, its sleek, tapered design offers a striking contrast to the area’s mountainous terrain. To carry visitors to the top, we designed a pair of high-tech double-deck lifts that make the trip in just 60 seconds, travelling at 10 meters per second, making these Sky Shuttles among the world’s fastest double-deck lifts.

Otis teamed with LG Electronics to transform the one-minute journey into a breathtaking experience all its own. Organic LED (OLED) screens cover each cabin’s walls and ceiling. Once the doors close, passengers find themselves immersed in a virtual journey through the city’s history and its landmarks, including the 14th-century Gyeongbok Palace, the National Assembly Building, Jamsil Baseball Stadium and the Lotte World Tower itself. The double-deck lifts each carry 54 passengers at a time – certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s highest-capacity elevators.

1820 ft

Architectural Height

123

Floors

498 M

Highest Observation Deck

5th

Tallest Building in the world

Lifeboats to Safety

During an emergency, four SkyRise® elevators function as “lifeboats,” traveling between designated safe zones (Levels 22, 40, 60, 83 and 102) and the ground floor. These evacuation elevators are water- and fire-resistant, and feature back-up power and hoistway pressurization systems.

Unique Expertise for Unique Challenges

Typically, buildings have a flat roof that is still open when elevator machines are lifted from the ground and then lowered into the machine room at the top of the building. But the Lotte World Tower pinnacle resembles two spires – an architectural element that complicated installation of four 100-ton traction machines, each weighing more than 21 tons. Special rigging had to be built to maneuver the machines into place without damaging the two spires. In a complex procedure rehearsed multiple times, the traction machines first had to lifted from the ground to a spot on the 124th floor. Once inside, special rigging was used to move the heavy machines into their correct position, safely and precisely – without damaging the spires.

Quick facts about the Lotte World Tower

The tower includes retail space, offices, a luxury hotel and an officetel – studio apartments designed for people who want to live and work in the same building.

Named Seoul Sky, the observatory occupies the top seven floors and features a glass skywalk, outdoor terraces, shops and restaurants.

At 478 meters, the 118th floor features the world’s highest indoor glass floor.

The magazine Elevator World name Lotte World Tower “Project of the Year” in the New Construction category in 2018.