SEOUL, KOREA - The "Baikal Smart City" project to be announced in the upcoming summit meeting on November 13 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Korean President Park Geun-hye is expected to provide Korean construction and design contractors a stepping stone to enter into the Russian market.

 

The Heerim Consortium, whose member firms include Samwoo Construction Landscape Architecture and Centios as well as Heerim Architects & Planners, has signed an agreement on the 12th with Slovoda, a development fund for Irkutsk Oblast.

 

The 5-trillion-won project calls for building a large-scale complex encompassing regional government buildings, residential apartments, and sports complexes in a 300-hectare site. From master plan to architectural design and to construction, Korean contractors will lead the whole process.

 

The Slovoda Fund, the commissioning entity, is planning to offer additional projects such as a high-speed railway and support facilities for the complex, jointly with the Russian federal government and the Irkutsk regional government. On the signing ceremony on the 12th, Irkutsk region governor Sergei Yeroshchenko was present one day earlier than the Russian President's arrival.