The South Korean government has granted approval for construction to begin on the world's first invisible skyscraper, according to CNN. The building will be just outside of Seoul, the capital, near the Incheon International Airport.
The building, called the Tower Infinity, was designed by GDS Architects, a U.S. based architectural firm. The tower, which will be encased in glass, will be 1,476 feet and have the third highest observation deck in the world. It's backed by Korea Land & Housing Corporation, a public housing developer that is owned by the state.
The tower will have the illusion of invisibility because of the LED system that will be used on the building's facade. It will use a series of cameras that will send images onto the reflective surface of the building in real-time.
The technology is basically just a form of camouflage. The cameras will be placed at three different heights on six different sides, where they will capture real-time images of the surrounding area. Those images will then be projected onto three other sections, which will be filled with 500 rows of LED screens, creating the illusion that nothing is there, or invisibility.
The invisibility will be the result of images being scaled, rotated and merged through digital processing, creating what will appear to be a seamless image resulting in what appears to be an invisible building, even as you are looking directly at it.
"Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world's tallest and best towers, our solution aims to provide the world's first invisible tower, showcasing innovative Korean technology while encouraging a more global narrative in the process," Charles Wee, the GDS design principal, said in a statement.
The building will be used for leisure activities and will include a series of observation decks, a roller coaster, food and beverage outlets, a water park and a movie theater.
When the building is complete, it will be the sixth highest tower in the world, following the Tokyo SkyTree, Guangzhou's CantonTower, Toronto's CN Tower, Moscow's Ostankino Tower and Shanghai's Oriental Pearl.
There is currently no projected completion date.
A video on the Tower Infinity.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
