Mixed-Use High-Rise

Luminary Tower Seoul

Architecture and Facade Engineering

Luminary Tower is a 340-meter mixed-use high-rise in Seoul’s Gangnam district, designed by Wolkenkratzer BAU as architect and facade engineer. The tower integrates premium office space on the lower floors, a boutique hotel on the mid levels, and luxury serviced apartments at the upper levels — all united by a continuous double-skin facade system that wraps the tower in a luminous veil of fritted glass.

The tower’s name derives from its nighttime appearance: a custom LED integration layer embedded within the outer facade skin creates a programmable light installation that has become one of Seoul’s most recognizable urban landmarks after dark.

Info Project

  • Location: Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
  • Height: 340 meters, 71 floors
  • Completion: December 2023
  • Project Scope: Architecture, Facade Engineering, Lighting Design, Interior Design

Project Fundamentals

  • Creativity
    The fritted glass pattern on the outer facade skin was developed in collaboration with a Korean contemporary artist, creating a design that references traditional Korean textile motifs at architectural scale.
  • Technology
    The integrated facade LED system comprises 2.4 million individually addressable light points controlled by a custom media server, enabling the tower to display dynamic artistic content while remaining within Seoul’s strict light pollution regulations.
  • Sustainability
    The double-skin facade reduces the tower’s heating load by 44% in Seoul’s cold winters while providing full ventilation in spring and autumn without mechanical conditioning — a performance outcome that contributed to Green Building certification at the highest national rating level.
  • Innovation
    Luminary Tower Seoul was the first building in South Korea to integrate a fully automated building facade cleaning robot system within the outer facade structure, eliminating the need for traditional rope-access maintenance and significantly reducing lifecycle facade maintenance costs.

Resume

Luminary Tower Seoul has since its completion attracted significant international media attention, appearing on multiple lists of the world’s most architecturally significant new buildings. The tower’s hotel component achieved five-star occupancy rates within its first year of operation, and the office floors are fully leased to technology and financial services tenants on long-term agreements.