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Durrant reaches for the skies with Lotte

Madison-based Durrant is designing Lotte World II, which will rank among the tallest buildings in the world when complete. Rendering courtesy of Durrant

A Wisconsin design team is drafting plans for what will be among the tallest buildings in the world.

Its 107 stories will rise above Busan, South Korea, and the Sea of Japan. If built today, Lotte World II would be the second tallest building on the globe, and it would be the skinniest tower ever built.

But with Lotte’s scheduled completion after 2012, at least one taller building will likely appear in the interim, said Kevin Lichtfuss, manager of mechanical engineering for Durrant, the Madison architectural firm designing Lotte.

Lotte World II is a $1 billion retail, entertainment, hotel, office and recreational development. The tower will be the focal point of the complex, although a nine-story mall will be built first.

But the real challenge rests with the 1,525-foot tower. A construction team will fill in portions of the nearby sea and dig five stories below sea level for the foundations, Lichtfuss said.

And while there is no ocean near Durrant’s offices, the company was one of three asked to compete for the Lotte World II project.

“We designed the building to have features that reflect a totem, which is very important to their culture,” Lichtfuss said.

The totem aspects are subtle, with stripes in the glass representing brow, nose and chin.

Durrant also understood that a building like this is a matter of prestige for the owner. And the complex will stand out in more ways than just height.

A 300-foot Ferris wheel will protrude from the mall, with part of the ride inside and the rest in fresh air. But for all of its amusements and attention-grabbing aspects, the design also includes a serious side.

“Most people believe how high we can build is related to technology, but that’s not the case,” Lichtfuss said. “We have the technology to build twice as tall. You also have to develop the means of getting people out of the building safely.”

- Jennifer Pfaff

Cemented in time

Photo by Fred Scruton

Cruise down Highway 13 in Phillips and you might catch a glimpse of a fish so big it would take a team of horses to land it.

About 15,000 people visit Phillips each year to witness this and many other spectacles, said Pete Bartelt, Price County Forest and Parks administrator. That’s because Phillips is home to Wisconsin Concrete Park, a 16-acre wonderland of concrete-based fantasy.

The outdoor museum includes 237 sculptures and plaques handcrafted by the late Fred Smith, a Wisconsin lumberjack who had a lot to say about national history, pop culture and life in the Northwoods.

His art was inspired by the world around him, and his material reflects that world. But Smith also relied on more practical considerations.

“Concrete was readily available, and it’s easily embellished,” said Lisa Stone, chairwoman of the Friends of Fred Smith Inc. conservation committee.

The Friends of Fred Smith’s annual celebration runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 12. The park is always open during daylight hours.

- Jennifer Pfaff