For the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) completed last April, builders used POSCO’s Pos-H steel. Building parts were made by precisely cutting and welding the hot-rolled steel plates and thick plates. Pos-H is custom-made for structures and does not produce any waste unlike existing hot-rolled shape steel with fixed dimensions. In addition, POSCO’s dry fire-resistant cladding technique was applied to all the pillars of the IBC. The dry fire-resistant cladding technique eliminates the process of applying fire-resistant paint to pillars for fire prevention, and instead, fire-resistant materials are wrapped around the pillars.

The Media Residence that will house reporters during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics resembles a steel showroom due to its impressive design. PosMAC, which is over 5 times more corrosion-resistant than general galvanized steel sheets as it is coated with zinc, magnesium and aluminum, was specially printed to bring to life the fiber texture. PosMAC was used for the exterior of the bathrooms and walls for durability as well as artistic value. The surface steel plates plated with aluminum and zinc, called ALZASTA was treated to achieve a glittering spangle pattern texture and applied to the residence fire doors, valve enclosures and hallways. PossSD, stainless steel with a level of reflectivity equal to that of a mirror, was used inside the bathrooms.

The Media Residence was completed on December 15, after 8 months of construction. All of the 300 rooms were prefabricated in a factory and assembled at the site. This is known as modular construction. It reduced the construction period by 18 months compared to building with general concrete. More than anything else, modular construction makes it possible to move the structure to another location and reuse it. In this respect, modular construction is regarded as the best choice for the facilities that will be removed after the Winter Olympics. The Media Residence will be reused as a hotel or dormitory.

Finally, the Kwandong Hockey Center’s exterior walls are made of 329LD POSCO stainless steel, which is highly corrosion-resistant and robust. POSCO provided the structural analysis by calculating the optimal thickness for the walls and reduced the thickness by 25 percent.  

After the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics, POSCO will continue to provide construction solutions through is WPP and technologies for its partners.  

Cover photo courtesy of Heerim.

Building exteriors and roofs are the most visible parts of buildings, while also being the most vulnerable to corrosion. Materials used in their construction should be both corrosion-resistant and aesthetically pleasing, which is why stainless steel has become a popular option for materials in a building’s exteriors.

POSCO recently signed a deal to supply 380 tons of its 446M stainless steel for the expansion of the Incheon International Airport Passenger Terminal, and 120 tons of its 329LD stainless steel for the construction of the Kwandong Hockey Centre .

A bird’s-eye view of the second passenger terminal at Incheon International Airport. Because of its non-corrosive properties and stylish appearance, POSCO’s 446M steel will be used as an exterior material.

Incheon International Airport, the #1 in airport service quality for the last 10 years, is moving forward with construction to build its second passenger terminal to accommodate for an increase in passengers. The first passenger terminal was built in 2001 using POSCO’s 446M steel, and after 18 years, few signs of corrosion have been seen. Therefore, when planning for the second terminal, they decided to use the same type of steel along with the application of the Bead Blast process that will create a rough texture on the roof to lower the reflectivity rate for aircraft pilots during take-offs and landings.

POSCO’s 446M steel contains high amounts of chromium (26%) and molybdenum (2%) that give it superior corrosion resistance for use in exterior construction near coastal areas, like Incheon. In addition, the minimization of carbon and nitrogen make the steel easier to weld and process. Because of its low thermal expansion coefficient (the ratio of the thermal expansion of an object to temperature under a constant pressure), it is possible to make longer panels, especially when compared to materials such as aluminum or the 300 series stainless steel.

POSCO’s 329LD steel was applied to the exterior of the recently-built Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung, Korea.

POSCO’s Lean Duplex 329LD steel was applied to the exterior of the Kwandong Hockey Centre , which will host events and athletes from all over the world in February 2018. The stadium is located only 7km away from the coast and it was required that the steel have at least 316L-grade corrosion resistance. Because of budget overrun concerns, POSCO recommended its Lean Duplex 329LD steel. Its corrosion resistance is above that of the required 316L steel, and because of its high strength, thinner applications of the steel could be used in the final design. In addition, vibration surface treatment was applied in order to add texture to the surface of the exterior, giving the building a more modern touch.

POSCO is also working to expand the sales of its stainless steel products in the global market. POSCO recently signed an agreement with a multipurpose apartment complex in Vancouver, Canada, and more are expected soon. Because of its corrosion resistance, beautiful aesthetics, high strength, ease of maintenance, and fire resistance, the popularity of stainless steel is expected to continue rising with architects, engineers, and the general public.

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POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon (left) talks about 3D hologram film developed by SSADT at the 11th Idea Marketplace held in the Pohang Creative Economy Center on July 25.

POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon said in his welcoming speech, “Creative innovation is the DNA of POSCO and the source of economic take-off. POSCO will strive to revive the local economy and create more jobs through nurturing competent startups.”

He added, “The Pohang Creative Economy Center is the nation’s only privately managed creative economy center. We will actively support the startups, which have been discovered in this center, through promoting their business while growing in the global market.”

The 14 startups that were introduced had been selected in March to be supported by POSCO and have since had their business plans verified while receiving mentoring by outside experts. At the Idea Marketplace, the IR session was carried out in front of an audience through one-on-one Q&A sessions between the directors of the startups and the panel.

SSADT has garnered attention with its technology that turns 2D images into 3D images by attaching a 10-nanometer holographic film to smartphones, tablets and notebooks. The company received positive reviews and is considered as being competitive in the industry for its large-scale nano mold technology, deadline efficiency and low pricing. Its holographic film will be adapted to the electronic display boards for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, which will allow Olympics broadcasts to be shown in 3D.

Cast Pro has successfully developed a receiver that can be wirelessly connected to a global smart operating system, such as Android, IOS, Windows, DLNA or WiDi. It has been credited with achieving high synchronization rates delivering wireless connection to any operating system in the display market. Director Jae-ho Lee said, “There is not much support available for manufacturing-based startups. The investment environment is not favorable, either. However, despite these situations, POSCO has made a systematic investment and supports looking in to the future, which has been a great encouragement for us.”

Directors of the selected startups introduce their business to investors and guests at the Idea Marketplace.

The Idea Marketplace is POSCO’s representative startup support program where POSCO invites business ideas to either directly plan collaborating with some of the competent startups, or connect them to outside investors. It is a place for investment promotion where the selected startups present their business plans to investors after having established their plans with the help of their professional mentors over the course of 10 weeks.

POSCO has nurtured 122 startups since 2011, and directly invested 8.5 billion won into 53 companies among them. The companies supported by POSCO have increased their sales by 69% to 34 billion won. This is in comparison to the 20.2 billion won in sales they had when they first received the investment.

POSCO has also made contributions to a key part of the creative economy, namely job creation, by creating 458 additional jobs. In addition, the company has attracted 35.8 billion won worth of investment from external sources to support these startups as they continue to grow.

We accept year-round applications from interested prospective entrepreneurs or startups. Visit  http://www.poscoventure.co.kr/S91060/S91060010/en/index.do to apply for POSCO’s Idea Marketplace.

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