In the middle of the Korean metropolis of Seoul with its millions of inhabitants, the World Trade Center towers as a landmark of the city. As Korea's largest trade and business centre, the World Trade Center (WTC) is also one of the draws for tourists. With the new Parnas Tower, the architectural firms KMD Architects (USA) and Chang-jo Architects (Korea) have placed an ultra-modern, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building alongside the WTC tower.
The new 183 m high Parnas Tower with 38 above-ground and eight underground floors is a luxurious office tower with state-of-the-art technology. In the design, the architects focused on harmonious integration into the existing building complex.
Following the design concept of the neighbouring Trade Tower, the southern lower part and the eastern upper part of the building were designed with transparent glass elements and diagonal projections and recesses.
How was the new Parnas Tower certified?
With the gold award, the Parnas Tower received the second highest certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED sustainability standard. The building's high efficiency is ensured by a sophisticated energy concept and a coordinated building management system.
The insulating glass from LG Hausys with the warm-edge system from H.B. Fuller | Kömmerling makes a significant contribution to the sustainable architecture of the Parnas Tower.
See also: What you need to know about insulating glass spacers
In addition to the photovoltaic systems integrated into the facade, the highly thermally insulated, all-round glass elements, which are constructed with a warm edge system, play a major role in this success.
Around 25,000 m2 of insulating glass from the IGU manufacturer LG Hausys was installed in the façade. LG Hausys is the only insulating glass manufacturer in South Korea to use the high-quality Ködispace 4SG warm-edge system from H.B. Fuller | Kömmerling.
Namgoong Sun
What role does the warm edge of the insulating glass play?
The thermoplastic spacer for insulating glass offers a special appearance, very high energy efficiency and a long service life, thus meeting LG's high demands. After all, glass facades like the one in the Parnas Tower must be able to permanently withstand the thermal stresses caused by the weather, even in extreme seasons like those in Seoul.
See also this article: Digital simulation tool for pressure equalisation in IGUs
In order for the insulating glass to be able to handle these temperature differences and maintain its energy efficiency, a permanently functioning and tight edge seal is an absolute prerequisite. Insulating glass with the elastic spacer Ködispace 4SG has proven to be extraordinarily robust, resilient and durable.
What does the spacer do in terms of design?
The warm-edge solution is also highly interesting from a design point of view. Thanks to the fully automatic application of the reactive thermoplastic spacer system, insulating glass with Ködispace 4SG can be produced with absolute precision and optical perfection.
This helps these glasses to achieve unique aesthetics: no unsightly offset of the spacer profiles and, above all, no disturbing light reflections as with classic spacer systems - the black Ködispace 4SG makes the space between the panes practically invisible. The insulating glass from LG Hausys with the warm-edge system from H.B. Fuller | Kömmerling makes a significant contribution to the high-quality and sustainable architecture of the Parnas Tower.
