Daedo International Financial Center

The Daedo International Financial Center (DIFC, Zhenian: 대도국제금융센터) is a complex of located in the Shin Daedo New Town area in the west coasts of Daedo, Zhenia. It was built by the the architecture firm Saram & Saram and its chief architect Han Seok-Geun, while most of the actual construction was done by Jinmu Construction & Engineering. Widely conceived as the pinnacle of the entire Shin Daedo New Town project, the complex was constructed upon reclaimed land on the coastline facing the Gulf of Danguk, with its opening coinciding with the commemoration of the 140th anniversary of the Empire of Zhenia. As a set of mixed-use skyscrapers, the International Tower in particular is one of the tallest structures of the world and remains the single tallest structure in Zhenia.

Construction work on the complex began in 1994, as construction of Shin Daedo New Town emerged to reality. Intended to be the heart of the new town project, some constituent buildings were completed by 2004, while construction of the International Tower, its tallest spire, was completed in 2007 and the entire complex in 2008 to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Zhenian unification. Although originally named 'Shin Daedo Spire' on initial plans of the new town project, it was later renamed as Daedo International Financial Center after the purpose of most of its buildings, including the International Tower, was clarified as office space for financial companies headquartered in Daedo.

The complex is overall built on a circular plaza layout with the International Tower, surrounded by a, at its center. The International Tower, specifically, is designed with three interlocking towers, each gaining inspiration from traditional Zhenian, each twisting 45 degrees to help stabilize it against high wind speeds, while vertical ailerons extend along the top edges of each interlocking tower to augment the design. Almost all of the buildings are connected via subterranean buttressed wings, allowing for easy access between each building regardless of external weather conditions. The complex altogether contains 166 elevators and 30 escalators, 70 of which are dedicated to the International Tower.

The general reception regarding Daedo International Financial Center has been positive, with many referring to the complex as a 'symbol of Zhenian enterprise in the twenty-first century'. However, there had been concerns regarding office and residential vacancies when the complex was first completed, as well as the pressure the complex gave on traffic congestion on the roads around Shin Daedo New Town as a whole.

History
Proposals for a 'landmark tower', initially referred to as 'Shin Daedo Spire', at the center of Shin Daedo New Town's had been drawn out since the beginning of the New Town's planning phase in the late 1970s, revolving around a series of mixed-use skyscrapers with a spire at its center. The development project was later linked to the construction of Shin Daedo Station directly to its east, with later proposals including direct underground access paths to Shin Daedo Station without the need of additional modes of transport. Reflecting this, later design proposals, integrated the initially-planned transit hub beneath the center into Shin Daedo Station's main transfer hub and redirected MTX access into the station as well.



Amid significant increases in land value prior to its development, there had been debate regarding the exact use of the complex. The Jinmu Group initially vouched as the primary owner of the complex, with a proposal of relocating the headquarters of the group and almost all of its subsidiaries into the complex, later dubbed 'Jinmu Town'. Other investors, including a consortium led by the Hanshin Group, also made proposals to primarily use the complex, until the Shin Daedo International Company, the primary owner of the assets around the complex, intervened, while the Jinmu Group eventually opted out of the bid in favor of what would become the Jinmu Global Business City project. Following negotiations with the Daedo Metropolitan Government, it had been decided that much of the firms headquartered in the city's financial district would altogether relocate to the complex. As a result, the project was finally renamed Daedo International Financial Center, reflecting its purpose.

Construction of the complex began in 1994, while construction of Shin Daedo Station began earlier in 1991. On June 17, 2002, the International Tower, the central spire of the complex, surpassed the existing Jinlin Tower of Jinhae as the nation's tallest skyscraper at 433.5 meters, while it became the nation's tallest freestanding structure in the nation on December 30, 2002, surpassing the Amasar Ren Tower in Bakhan at 505.5 meters. The International Tower topped out at its 168th floor on August 28, 2005, while the first two towers constituting the complex, the Vision and Epoch Towers, as well as the first phase of Shin Daedo Station, were completed the same day and commenced operations. Daeseong and Gwangmu Towers were completed on July 7, 2006 and August 1, 2006 respectively, while the International Tower, the pinnacle of the complex, was completed in 2008. The entire complex opened and commenced operations on June 4, 2008, commemorating the 140th anniversary of Zhenian unification.

Daeseong and Gwangmu Towers
Named after the epoch names of the two emperors of the Empire of Zhenia, the Daeseong and Gwangmu Towers are twin towers located to the west of the International Tower, connected to the waterfront facing the Gulf of Danguk. They are the second and third tallest buildings forming the complex respectively, at 194 meters and 190 meters by roof height respectively.