Selasa, 02 Februari 2016

Unique Architecture - Namsan Seoul Tower

N 서울 타워

HISTORY
     Built in 1969, and at a cost of approximately 2.5 million USD, the tower was opened to the public in 1980. Seoul Tower was completed on December 3, 1971, designed by architects at Jangjongryul though at the time the facility interior was not furnished. It took until August 1975, for the third floor of the observatory deck, museum, open hall, souvenir shop, in addition to bring the other facilities to completion. However, despite finalization of tower construction, the observatory was closed to the public until October 15, 1980. Since then, the tower has been a landmark of Seoul. Tower elevation ranges from 236.7 m (777 ft) at the base to 479.7 m (1,574 ft) above sea level.
     Seoul Tower had its name changed to N Seoul Tower in 2005 whereas the "N" stands for 'new', 'Namsan', and 'nature.' Approximately 15 billion KRW was spent in renovating and remodeling the tower. When N Seoul Tower's original owner merged with CJ Corporation, it was renamed the N Seoul Tower (official name CJ Seoul Tower). It has also been known as the Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower. It is also Korea's first general radio wave tower that holds transmissions antennas of KBS, MBC, SBS TV, FM, PBC, TBS, CBS, and BBS FM. Seoul Tower chosen to worldwide travel expert evaluation and reader preferences is registered the world's 500 attractions in research


ATTRACTIONS
     The tower is renowned as a national landmark, and for its cityscape. The 236.7 m (777 ft) tower sits on the Namsan mountain (243m or 797 ft). It attracts thousands of tourists and locals every year, especially during nighttime when the tower lights up. Photographers enjoy  the panoramic view the tower offers. Each year, approximately 8.4 million people visit the N Seoul Tower, which is surrounded by many other attractions South Korea offers, including Namsan Park and Namsan Hanok Village. Visitors may go up the tower for a fee that differs for the following groups: children, elderly and teenagers, and adults. Rates differ for each package and group size.
     The Tower is illuminated in blue from sunset to 23:00 (22:00 in winter) on days where the air quality in Seoul is 45 or less. During the spring of 2012, the Tower was lit up for 52 days, which is four days more than in 2011. The tower uses the latest LED technology to offer visitors a digital, cultural art experience through 'light art.' The N Seoul Tower puts on many different shows, including the "Reeds of Light" and "Shower of Light."
     In 2012, surveys conducted by Seoul City revealed foreign tourists ranked the N Seoul Tower as the number one tourist attraction. The N Seoul Tower is now also a symbol of Seoul.

FLOORS AND AMINITIES
     The N Seoul Tower is divided into three main parts, including the N Lobby, N Plaza, and the N Tower. The N Plaza consists of two floors, while the N Tower includes four floors.



     The N Lobby holds the N Gift, N Sweetbar, BH Style, the Alive Museum Cafe, Memshot, Nursing Room, Restroom, Information desk, a cafe, Children's Theater, and entrance to observatory
        N Plaza has two floors. The first floor includes the ticket booth, N Terrace, N Gift, a burger shop, Food Court, Light Garden, Grass Terrace, and Souvenir Shop.


     The second floor houses the Place Dining, an Italian restaurant, Cafe and the Roof Terrace where the "Locks of Love" can be found.                                                                                              


                               
        The "Locks of Love" is a popular location for people to hang locks that symbolize eternal love, and has been depicted in many Korean television shows, dramas, and movies for this reason. In a poll of nearly 2,000 foreign visitors, conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in November 2011, 16 percent stated that hanging named padlocks on the Tower fence as a symbol of love was their favorite activity in Seoul.

        The N Tower has four floors : 1F, 2F, 3F, and 5F. From the N Plaza to N Tower you must take a lift. This is something special from the lift (and for me, It’s the best part from Namsan Tower). There is a “Fly to Galaxy Show” inside the lift to the top of Namsan Tower. [Let’s check the video!]


     On the first floor there is Korean Restoran named “Hancook”.


     On the second floor included Analogue Observatory, Sky Restroom, Sky Cafe, “Nature Republic”, Photo Studio, and The Wishing Pond. The Wishing Pond is a place where people throw coins into the pond wishing for eternal love. The coins are collected and donated to help develop schools in China and Southeast Asia.
Sky Restroom
Wishing Pond
Sky Cafe
     On the third floor there are Digital Observatory, Shocking Edge and Digital High-powered Telescope, Teddy Bear Museum, and Gift shop (The Ba:ng). Most of the city of Seoul can be seen from this floor. Close to N Seoul Tower is a second lattice transmission tower. The tower offers a digital observatory with a 360° panoramic view that showcases Korea's history through 32 LCD screens.


Shocking Floor~


Digital Observatory

The Ba:ng
     In 2008, the Teddy Bear Museum was open at the Tower, with a 7-metre Christmas tree made with 300 teddy bears to celebrate the opening. It showcases teddy bears in the past, present, and future of Seoul, as well as teddy bears models in Seoul attractions, such as the Cheonggyecheon Stream, Myeongdong, Insadong, and Dongdaemun.

Teddy Bear Museum

Teddy Bear
    
    On the last floor there is a revolving restaurant (who rotates at a rate of one revolution every 48 minutes). The restaurant named is N Grill.





That's all about Namsan Tower! ^^