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Haeundae
Doosan We’ve The Zenith Interview

  • "It was the best site in every way
     where the word 'best' always followed"

  • Lee Woo-young, department head
    (currently, site director of Uljin-eup Nam We’ve)

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Please tell us more about your position and responsibilities during your duty.
In August 2008, I was assigned to the Doosan We’ve the Zenith site in Haeundae as section manager and worked on the construction team and was promoted to deputy general manager in June 2011. After the successful completion, we started moving in in December 2011 and stayed on site until October 2015, working also on the customer service team for four years.
Tell us more about the site and surroundings during construction.
Haeundae-gu U-dong Marine City, also called the Gangnam-gu of Busan, was not much different from the present. However, the development of the surrounding commercial area is currently much more advanced. It seems that the status of U-dong Marine City has changed to an imposing figure that we can be proud of as the best in Korea, thanks to Doosan E&C and HDC, which have currently built high-rise residential buildings. The view from the white sand beach of Haeundae or from in a yacht on the water in front of the Gwangan Bridge is comparable to those of the world's famous cities. And I don't know if it's only visible to my eyes that see through this area, but most of the domestic car commercials are shown as driving on the Gwangan Bridge and illuminating the skyline of Marine City, so I feel proud every time I see it.
Tell us about the on-site organization and atmosphere.
Like any other site, it consisted of construction, public affairs, mechanical, electrical, safety, quality, and management parts, and also there were structural engineers, architects, concrete experts, and color design parts in a separate design division; so, all areas of the high-rise residential building could be controlled on site. In the earlier days, Hanmi Global's CM also worked together and had an organization that provided DATA, which is the basis for various constructions, to the on-site employees. A total of about 150 employees went through the site, including the colleagues who stayed temporarily with us for a short time, and in the earlier days, there were many outstanding veteran employees, so there was a lot to learn. And if you add up the employees of partner companies, the maximum number of site workers per day was close to 2,000. The atmosphere at the site was as much a burden as there was a lot of expectation for the construction of the tallest residential building in Asia, which no one had ever experienced at the time. As this was the first time that various external organizations, as well as the constructor and the supervising unit, have ever experienced such a great project, can you imagine how much attention it was creating?
What kind of evaluation and significance did the Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith site have at the time, both internally and externally?
The word ‘Best’ always followed. Through visits, inspections, viewings, evaluation, etc., everyone was curious about how the construction is carried out and managed at the best sites and wanted to visit and see the site at least once in person. Even now, there are many engineers who are curious about the construction of the high-rise Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith, so there’s no more to say.
What was the most challenging thing you had during your duty, and how did you overcome it?
It was 'communication'. Because it was everyone's first experience and there were so many employees on the site, it took a lot of time for the decision items to reach to the staff members, so it created a lot of problems. Therefore, we used various communication methods, most notably small meetings by parts. There were a lot of communication between assistant managers and employees, senior managers and division managers, machine engineers and site managers, etc., through small group meetings after work hours. Even now, in a field of some size, "communication" seems to play the most important role.
Tell us about your most unforgettable episode that happened on site.
For sectors 1 and 2, a kind of substitution method of removing silt to the bedrock and filling it with concrete was applied; and I remember that the amount of concrete at that time was 6,600 cubic meters. The rock was in a state of many joints and the supervisory team was in the position of not accepting it, but since the designer was a foreign engineer who had been in charge of the construction of the Burj Dubai and couldn’t be brought to Korea, I remember doing the excavation work while arguing with the supervisory team every day.
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How has Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith influenced your personal growth?
I have the 'confidence' and the best 'technical skills' that I can have when I overcome difficult obstacles. At that time, many people worried about the completion of the construction and I had a vague expectation of the completion, but it was such a difficult task for me, one in charge of the construction site. There were night and overtime shifts, numerous reprimands, sense of responsibility―all the stress of a lifetime for me. Overcoming this difficult process gave me confidence that I could do it in any difficult situation. In addition, the new technology obtained then is still being used in various fields. In particular, I believe that this kind of large-scale site management technology is an "asset" that no one could experience.
How did you feel when it was completed?
I felt a lot of satisfaction and extreme joy in being able to say 'Mission accomplished!', but also had a great feeling of "Goodbye to this unending project~ bye bye~". Other projects always left the regret of "could have done better," but Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith was such a difficult site that the thought, "finally this is over!" was greater. But what could you do then? I remained to be in charge of the site resident C/S to get along together with the residents for 4 years.
What does Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith mean to you?
Need I say more? It was the best for me. 3 and a half years for construction, 4 years for C/S – I spent more than 7 years in the same place, and ended up having so many vivid memories that dance before my eyes. The view from the penthouse, the filming of drama and movie at the heliport, the concert in the central square, and so on… It became the best building in the best place, and it allowed me to meet the best residents who live there and that is exactly 'Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith.’
What kind of building do you hope Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith will be viewed as in the future?
The status of Haeundae Doosan We’ve the Zenith goes beyond Busan and is recognized as the best in Korea. I hope that this status will be maintained in the future since all the employees who worked together at the time did their best to make the project a success.
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