For many years now, Korean construction companies have been winning international recognition for their skyscraper expertise. Recently, they are actively engaged in the construction industry in Malaysia.

Among these Korean builders, Daewoo Engineering & Construction has built or is building three of the top-five highest skyscrapers in Malaysia. Daewoo has successfully completed the construction of the Telekom Malaysia and KLCC towers, both of which have become new landmarks across Kuala Lumpur. Currently, the firm is building the IB Tower and the Matrade Center, too.

Daewoo first entered the Malaysian construction market to build an airplane hangar for Subang Airport in 1983. The company cemented its position in the country by building tall towers such as the Plaza Rakayat in 1992 and Vision City in 1995. Then, Daewoo built the Telekom Malaysia building in 1998. This 77-story building is shaped like a bamboo shoot and is highly recognized for its architectural artistic beauty.



Currently, Daewoo has been concentrating on building the IB Tower in the Binjai neighborhood of central Kuala Lumpur. The IB Tower is a 58-story building and stands 274 meters tall. IB is an abbreviation for ilham baru in Bahasa Malaysia, meaning, "a new inspiration." Once completed in April 2015, this tower will be the third-tallest building in Malaysia, following the Petronas Twin Towers and the Malaysia Telekom building.


Daewoo applied its special “skip flooring construction method” to the construction of the IB Tower to shorten the construction period by three months. Under this method, the firm builds both the upper and lower levels at the same time, using both “up-up” and “top-down” construction techniques.


Apart from the IB Tower, Daewoo has been carrying out the construction of the Matrade Center, the bid for which it won in 2012. This center is part of the first phase of the KL Metropolis Development Project undertaken by the Malaysian government. The total floor area of this complex is estimated at 145,246 square meters, the largest such complex in Southeast Asia. The shape of the building will look like the seeds of the rubber plant, one of Malaysia's representative natural resources.

Daewoo has been creating a new skyline across Malaysia by winning a series of construction bids, including that for Parcel 2 of the Damansara City Project, a multi-use complex involving office buildings, hotels and commercial space, and the new headquarters building for the Public Bank.

Korean builders won USD 48.3 billion worth of overseas construction orders in the third quarter of this year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry predicts that Korea will be able to achieve its goal of recording USD 70 billion worth of overseas construction orders by the end of this year.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr