The words of Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, ring loud and true, and completely resonate with the values of POSCO, who, in the spirit of giving back to the community, has implemented a number of volunteer programs across the world.

Through the annual POSCO Global Volunteer Week in May, under the theme “POSCO Family’s Talent Sharing Week,” the company leveraged its internal power and the talents of its employees to help those in most need.

The Provincial Social Work Centre of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu (formerly known as the Disabled and Orphaned Children Sponsoring Centre) was established in Vietnam in 1999 to provide education and vocational training to those with disabilities, as well as orphaned children, so that they might be able to more easily integrate into society. However, since its establishment, the center has become rundown, and facilities have been neglected. As such, POSCO Vietnam decided to focus its Global Volunteer Week efforts on reviving this center.

Employees were eager to contribute in whatever way possible. Some focused on educating the center’s teenagers on basic life skills, such as how to safely repair a light socket. Others gave Korean cooking lessons or helped to restore center facilities, like the wooden beds that had been broken for as long as the children could remember.

“Today, I’m a carpenter and repairing beds for the children at the center,” noted Mr. Như, team leader of QC. “I am happy doing this work and I hope that the children here can now a have a safe and sound sleep.”

Like POSCO Vietnam, POSCO Headquarters also values the happiness and well-being of each individual of the community, and is actively working towards bettering society.

During Global Volunteer Week, employees in Korea volunteered their time by hosting events for multicultural families and spending quality time with elderly residents of their communities. Some even contributed to making local neighborhoods more beautiful by painting colorful murals, brightening not only the streets, but also the smiles of the area’s inhabitants.

Not unlike many workplaces, POSCO India hosts a monthly event to celebrate the birthdays of its employees with lunch and cake. But last December, Managing Director Sung Gee-woong, while having a casual conversation during the birthday party, mentioned that real happiness is realized only when it is shared with others, especially with those who are in most need.

Those in attendance agreed and it was unanimously decided to create a voluntary “birthday fund” in which employees who are celebrating their birthdays during that particular month contribute to a fund that is used to purchase food and everyday items which are then distributed to those residing in slums near the company.

Yet, contributions are not limited to outside the office. When a member of the POSCO family is in need, fellow employees are quick to reach out.

Such was the case when the son of an employee at POSCO-IDPC in Delhi was recently diagnosed with blood cancer. The staff was quick to extend a helping hand and collectively offered financial support to aid in medical expenses.

These heartfelt gestures of kindness boldly illustrate that POSCO is more than just a company of employees seeking to make a living. It is a family that shares a general responsibility for all humanity, dedicated to making the world a better place, one small act at a time.

University of Phoenix Stadium 

(Image Source: University of Phoenix Stadium Official Website)

Located in Glendale Arizona in America, University of Phoenix Stadium is a multi-purpose facility with unique features of retractable steel roof and field. The 63,400-seat stadium, which is expandable to 72,200, have the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and Annual VIZIO Fiesta Bowl as the primary tenants. As a marvel of design, engineering, and technology, the stadium was voted as one of the top ten sports facilities in the world by Business Week in 2006.

Here are some facts that even football enthusiasts might have not known before. With a solid mission for the environment, University of Phoenix Stadium is a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). When tailgating, a big part of game day experience, guests are given complimentary recyclable bags for disposal of recyclable materials. While the 10% of stadium’s seating is made from recycled plastic, the venue uses “Green” products such as hand soap, all cleaning solutions, microfiber mops and rags to preserve water and the environment.

Another interesting fact about the stadium is that the stadium’s field is wheeled in and out on 546 steel wheels that ride along 13 parallel steel rails, traveling 741 feet. It is almost unimaginable to guess how much steel was used for the construction!

(Reference: University of Phoenix Stadium Official Website)

Allianz Arena

(Image Source: Allianz Arena Official Website)

Allianz Arena, Europe’s contemporary stadium, with the size of more than 70,000 spectators, is the third home for FC Bayern Munich. Its extraordinary facade, covered with 2,760 diamond-shaped cushions, constantly amazes visitors. The stadium is always filled with fans every season because of the tenant team’s star players and other facilities such as outstanding catering and parking space at the venue.

As a special feature, Allianz Arena is lit in red when the host team is Bayern Munich, in blue when it is 1860 Munich, and in white when the German national team hosts the football match.

For the construction of Allianz Arena, approximately 22,000 tons of steel was used. The retractable roof is where massive amount of the steel was applied to. Overall, the stadium was warmly welcomed by the Munich community and more than 60 percent considered Allianz Arena as a favorable construction project. According to “Cicero”, political journal, the stadium became Germany’s favorite sports location.

(Reference: Allianz Arena Official Website)

Estádio Municipal de Aveiro

(Image Source: Panoramio)

Located in Aveiro, Portugal, Estádio Municipal de Aveiro Stadium was designed for UEFA Euro 2004 tournament as the fifth-largest football ground of the country. A home ground for Sport Clube Beira-Mar of the Segunda Liga, the stadium is a venue for various football matches including the Portugal national team games.

Estádio Municipal de Aveiro Stadium is known for its dynamic design which is a combination of simple shapes and lively colors. Designed by Tomás Taveira, the stadium benefits from its cheerful colors as the intense tonalities bring out the celebration atmosphere of sporting events. Examples of the polychromic feature are red steel pylons, sky-blue edges of the roof and seating areas of rainbow shades. Having a capacity for 32,830 spectators and the special design features, the stadium is visually appealing both empty and full of people.

(Reference: Wikipedia)

Michigan Stadium

(Image Source: MGoBlue)

One of the America’s most classic stadium, Michigan Stadium, also known as the Big House, is a symbolic icon of University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Opened in 1927, which was the golden age of college football, the stadium was modeled after the Yale Bowl and was constructed with 440 tons of reinforcing steel and 31,000 square feet of wire mesh. Started with an initial capacity of 84,401, the venue currently upholds up to 109,901 spectators after a major renovation in 2010. Although the stadium is not known for extravagant colors or sleek, modern design, the stadium embodies its own meaning as one of the oldest and largest college football arenas in America.

(Reference Source: MGoBlue)

Wembley Stadium

(Image Source: Wembley Stadium Official Website)

Sponsored by EE, Wembley Stadium is a multiplex football stadium in Wembley Park, London, United Kingdom. Wembley Stadium is known for hosting major football matches, such as FA Cup Finals and home ground matches for England National Football Team. Wembley Stadium opened in 2007 after demolishing the previous Wembley Stadium. The stadium has a retractable roof, just as many other modern stadiums, and 134m-high Wembley Arch over the venue. .

Wembley Stadium is one of UEFA category 4 stadiums. Category 4 is the highest of the category. With 90,000 in capacity, Wembley Stadium is the second largest stadium in Europe and largest in the United Kingdom. Considering the immense size of the structure, which even contains 2,618 toilets, about 23,000 tons of steel were used for its renovation. This stadium is currently owned by the Football Association where HRH the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William) being the current president.

(Reference: Wembley Stadium Official Website)

As shown, today’s large venues, especially these amazing stadiums, are built on steel skeletons. As an essential material for the modern world, steel will continue to evolve into even more ambitious and innovative creatures in the future.

Waterfront Revitalization – The River Thames in London, United Kingdom
Historically, metropolitan cities have settled around water streams. London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, is a historically renowned city that is located in the riversides of the River Thames. For a long time, London has been the center of politics, economy, culture and transportation throughout the nation. Leading the industrial revolution, the United Kingdom was able to build larger structures in a shorter period by using cement, glass, and steel – the materials of modern architecture. As a result, many landmark structures were established. Today, we would like to talk about the River Thames of London, the iconic city of industrialization, and the landmarks surrounding the river.

Building Landmarks around the River Thames

There is a British proverb which says, “A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.” The United Kingdom had gone through fierce phases in the course of national development in cultural, political, industrial and many other aspects. Nowadays, the United Kingdom maintains its reputation as an advanced country and continues its effort to develop further.

As the industrial revolution bloomed in the late 17^th century, the United Kingdom developed into an international city. With the revolution as a momentum, the United Kingdom gained a superior position in international trade and colonial competition, exceeding the main competitors, France and the Netherlands. Ever since the 1980s, London, however, could no longer maintain its previous cityscape. That is, a swell in population caused a lack of urban infrastructure and led to an explosive increase in demands for new buildings. Accordingly, the city realized its urgency for a renewal and development.

Starting from the beginning of the 21^st century, the United Kingdom executed a national-scale development business, the Millennium Projects, under the administration of former Prime Minister John Major. For instance, the project constructed monumental architecture in celebration of the millennium. In fact, the architecture reflects the government’s will to express the new leap of London, transforming into a central city of Western Europe.

With the purpose of creating a new cultural center along the Thames, the project aimed to solve regional imbalances and to proliferate the city’s flow and development that were concentrated around the previous downtown. The outcomes of the Millennium Projects are the following landmarks: 1) The London Eye – a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, 2) Millennium Dome – located on the Greenwich Peninsula in the South East London, 3) Millennium Bridge –a pedestrian bridge connecting banksides, 4) Tate Modern – a modern art gallery housed in the former Bankside Power Station.

London Eye – A 135m Tall Ferris Wheel with 32 Observation Capsules

The London Eye is located within Jubilee Gardens which is on the bank of the River Thames. Upon its opening in 2000, the London Eye has positioned as a symbol of London along with Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and Big Ben.

Designed by two architects, David Mark and Julia Barfield, the London Eye has observation capsules that are installed in the exterior of the rim. The wheel has a rim diameter of 122 meters and was designed to rotate slowly. Designed by Nic Bailey, the 32 observation capsules of 25 passenger capacity is installed within the wheel, providing the downtown view of London. Completed in 1999, the London Eye was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel (135m) until the construction of China’s Star of Nanchang (160m) in 2006 and the Singapore Flyer (165m) in 2008.

Millennium Dome – The World’s Largest Dome Shaped Exhibition Space

The Millennium Dome is a structure located on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East London, United Kingdom. This landmark was designed by Richard Rogers and was planned to contain 23,000 visitors for exhibitions and concerts. The Millennium Dome has the world’s largest single roof, 100m tall support towers and a 365m-diameter circular dome. The twelve support towers represent 12 months of a year and the 365m-diameter canopy represents the days of a standard year.

In May 2005, the Dome was publicly renamed as ‘The O2’ in a deal with a British telecommunications company O2. The Dome is a multicultural entertainment arena for concerts, movies, exhibitions, and more. Providing a wonderful ambience even in the inside, the Dome is known for its outstanding beauty from a distant view.

Millennium Bridge – A Long Pedestrian Bridge in the River Thames

The Millennium Bridge is a long pedestrian bridge that links St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tate Modern with the River Thames in between. The bridge, constructed in 2000, is a collaborated work of sculptor Sir Anthony Caro and technology of Arup, an engineering company. While the Tower Bridge allows both pedestrian and transportation access, the Millennium Bridge restricts access to pedestrians only. Along with a huge success of the Tate Modern, the bridge triggered regional development in Southwark area and the southern bank of the River Thames.

Tate Modern – A Modern Art Gallery Housed in the Former Power Station

Opened in May 12^th 2000, the Tate Modern is a renovated architecture of Bankside Power Station which was closed in 1981. The British government and Tate group considered the location of the power station as an optimal spot for a gallery. Hence, they proposed a competition for an idea for a new building in 1994.

Consequently, numerous world famous architects had proposed their designs in the competition. The majority of the architects suggested to demolish the abandoned power station and establish a completely new structure. However, two young Swiss architects, Herzog and De Meuron proposed to maintain the exterior and dramatically revamp the interior functions. The British government and the Tate group highly valued this proposal of bestowing a modern interpretation to the interior while preserving the external structure.

Steel and its Infinite Possibilities for the Future Civilization
In every metropolitan cities, landmarks exist to exhibit their prides, and most of those landmarks are constructed with steel.

• The Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai – Built with 125,400 tons of steel, which is 17 times more amount than the weight of steel used for the Eiffel Tower completed in 1889.
• The Statue of Liberty in New York– A steel structure, that is 29.87m high, supports the inner part of the statue
• Tower Bridge in London – One of the landmark structures around the Thames, the Tower Bridge has a steel frame decorated with bricks on the surface. Also, the bridge’s grounding plate is 270m long and weighs about 1,200 tons.

As shown, iron still has a significant role in our daily life, culture, and urban spaces. In the midst of the ongoing steel culture, many cities are incorporating steel in the course of endless development of our civilization.

Including London, cities require sufficient time and patience to form, settle, and run appropriately.  London started as a small settlement along the River Thames, endured the phases of the industrial revolution and has grown into a contemporary city. Thus, the city must continue its effort to preserve and develop the history of London in this ever-changing world.

In 2018, POSCO will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of its establishment. Just as London’s ceaseless evolution along the River Thames, POSCO will continue to progress its endeavor that has developed the economy and flourished the industry through POSCO’s steel.

*This story was originally developed by Hwang, Sang-hee – POSCO A&C Marketing Team, International Architecture Specialist. Participated in international construction projects in Libya, Malaysia and more. Her hobbies are traveling and photography. She is also interested in historical stories about cities.