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]

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

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]

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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