carlo ratti lifts seoul tower on 'high heels' to make room for water, trees and public life

carlo ratti raises tower on ‘heels’ to address flooding in seoul

CRA–Carlo Ratti Associati, in collaboration with South Korean construction company GS E&C, proposes a 140-meter-tall residential tower in Seoul that lifts its inhabited volume onto slender structural columns. Dubbed A High Rise on High Heels, the project replaces the tower podium with an open, permeable landscape that manages stormwater while preserving existing trees and creating new public space.

The tower concentrates its structural load into a series of oversized columns, allowing water, vegetation, and pedestrian activity to flow beneath the building. The proposal draws on the principles of the ‘sponge city’ approach, slowing and absorbing stormwater on-site before it reaches Seoul’s drainage network, positioning the tower as part of the city’s climate adaptation infrastructure.

all images by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

Adaptive facades respond to sunlight and climate

The lifted ground plane also changes how residents interact with the site, as landscaped gardens extend beneath and around the building. There, community amenities, including dining spaces, tea houses, and areas for urban farming, occupy the shaded public realm. By minimizing the building’s footprint, the design preserves mature trees and opens the block to daylight and public access.

Higher up, the architects at CRA reinterpret a mandatory element of South Korean building regulations. Refuge floors, typically required every 30 stories for emergency evacuation, become planted communal terraces distributed throughout the tower, functioning as shared outdoor spaces.

The tower’s envelope also varies according to orientation instead of relying on a uniform curtain wall. South-facing elevations integrate photovoltaic panels to generate renewable energy, while the east and west facades incorporate vertical louvers that mitigate low-angle solar gain. The strategy aims to improve environmental performance through passive responses tailored to the exposure of each facade.

the 140-meter residential tower is elevated above the ground on slender structural columns

the tower’s facades respond to orientation with photovoltaic panels and vertical shading devices

landscaped public gardens extend beneath the raised tower

project info:

name: A High Rise on High Heels (Climate Adaptive Tower)

architect: CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati | @carlorattiassociati

collaborator: GS E&C

location: Seoul, South Korea