[Insight & Opinion] Do You Know About Ultra-High-Rise 'Pencil Towers'?

Create an Environment for Advanced Technology Challenges
Beyond Urban Center Regulations, Embrace Ultra-Slim Buildings

I had the opportunity to visit Sindang-dong Jungang Market for the first time in 40 years. The market was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a street where people enjoy grilled dried fish, sashimi, pig’s trotters, fish cakes, and a drink in the evening. It was far from the much-advocated market revitalization and regeneration. The traditional market functions had completely declined.

Seoul is a mega-city with a population exceeding 15 million when including satellite cities. Despite the rapid urban concentration and expansion, it still follows the low-density development methods from 30 to 40 years ago. Development in the city center is restricted, while new towns without self-sufficient functions continue to be developed on the outskirts. As a result, Seoul has become a city facing a total crisis, suffering from not only high housing prices but also traffic hell during commutes, excessive energy consumption, fine dust pollution caused by harmful emissions, and the urban heat island effect.

The city center of Seoul (Jongno-gu, Jung-gu) is hollowed out at night, with a distorted urban pattern where the ratio of daytime to nighttime floating population exceeds four times. In a way, it is like leaving the most expensive land idle due to height restrictions. On top of that, development is blocked under the pretext of preserving it as a ‘future heritage.’

First, buildings and areas with preservation value must be clearly defined. Unlike European cities with centuries-old architecture, many structures were hastily built amid war ruins, so their preservation value needs to be scrutinized further. We should distinguish those with value as modern cultural heritage or stories related to artists, politicians, and independence activists. Moreover, places like Jungang Market or Sewoon Sangga, which no longer serve their original functions, have no preservation value.

Therefore, instead of continuously expanding outward, the city center should be developed. Dense cities like New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore have long ago transformed creatively into ultra-high-rise future cities. This is not about adding a few ordinary buildings like the Cheongjin-dong redevelopment but developing ultra-high-rise buildings to the limits of architectural technology.

One trend in new downtown development is the ‘pencil tower.’ Although there is no strict definition, it refers to buildings with a height 10 to 12 times greater than their width and depth. In the 1970s, Hong Kong transformed into an ultra-high-rise dense city by constructing buildings over 20 stories tall on apartment plots. Recently, a 72-story building with a 20:1 ratio (High cliff) has appeared. In the U.S., since 2010, this trend has taken hold, resulting in the ‘Steinway Tower,’ which is 82 stories and 435 meters tall with a width of only 18 meters. This building is an ultra-slim structure with a height-to-width ratio of 24:1. This single building transformed the area into a super high-value district, with penthouse prices exceeding 100 billion won.

Instead of imposing various regulations because urban apartments are expensive, the mindset should change to placing ultra-high-value buildings and apartments in the city center. The enormous taxes generated from these can facilitate the expansion of housing supply for ordinary citizens. This high-rise architecture is also unique in that it gathers floor area ratio rights that neighboring buildings give up.

Meanwhile, by creating an environment where construction companies can challenge such extreme architecture, the competitiveness of the domestic construction industry can be enhanced globally. Ultra-slim architecture that can withstand wind, vibration, and earthquakes is only possible with cutting-edge technology. Since a challenging environment that can foster this high value-added industry is not provided, advanced architectural technology is neglected, and the industry ends up cutting corners on rebar and the like.

Kim Hong-jin, CEO of Work Innovation Lab

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.