Phnom Penh (FN), Mar. 22 – The construction of Cambodia’s largest and most prestigious integrated entertainment complex has commenced. Work on Naga 3 is now moving smoothly two years after it was made public.
In January, workers started laying the foundation for the massive project.
Based on the project design, the main feature of Naga 3 will be a 75 storeys hotel tower. “This will be the tallest building in Cambodia upon completion,” its developers noted.
The $3.5 billion project, which sits on Phnom Penh’s Sangkat Tonle Bassac, will also include two blocks of 52 storeys hotel tower.
Within the complex will be 17 floors of multi-function podium block (life style products ,high-tech theme park, entertainment, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) facilities, etc. There are also four basement floors of car parking and back of the house supports.
Naga 3 will add close to 3,000 hotel rooms and suites to the existing NagaWorld Complex, according to local media reports. The Total Gross Floor Area for the project reaches 500,000sqm.
The developers, contractors and designers for the project will construct the project according to international standards.
Design is being handled by two award-winning international firms: Steelman & Partners and Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill LLP (SOM).
“Naga 3 will be the most noticeable landmark for the city in years to come. With the upmost point of the northern tower commanding an unrivalled view of the city’s skyline and surrounding districts,” a previous statement released by SOM said.
Jacobs Engineering, meanwhile, handles the civil and structural works. The US-headquartered company is among the world’s largest Engineering consultants with 55,000 employees, 400 offices in 40-plus countries with annual revenue of $13 billion.
CCAG Asia Co Ltd is listed as the main contractor. Other companies that are playing major roles in the project are KWA Consult Sdn Bhd (Mechanical & Electrical Consultant), ELP Quantity Surveyors Sdn Bhd (QS Consultant) and Steelman Partners LLP (Interior Design).
The US-based Steelman Partners LLP, which designed many casinos and integrated resorts around the world, was also involved with the Naga 1 and Naga 2 projects.
MCC International Co Ltd is listed as the foundation contractor, in partnership with foundation specialist, Econpile Berhad. MCC International is a Global Fortune 500 firm, is among the largest China State owned construction companies. It is publicly listed in Shanghai, Hong Kong. While Econpile Berhad is a Malaysia public listed company.
According to Nagacorp, the specialist foundation contractors were selected from among 14 international tenders with very thorough and comprehensive assessment of their technical capabilities, experiences, adequacy of foundation construction machinery and geotechnical resources, including top-down construction experiences.
The project lists six main design considerations.
These are comprehensive 36 boreholes soil investigation in 2019; completed two preliminary test piles in 2020; nearby surrounding buildings health and safety; high water table level; no encroachment into neigbouring lots; and constructability, safety and quality of works.
Nagacorp, the project developer, is leaving nothing to chance with an efficient, highly-effective and ultra-modern design approach.
According to the company, millions will be spent on soil improvement work within the 6m western road adjacent to existing buildings using deep soil mixing method to reinforce the existing topsoil layer to minimise soil settlement risk.
An 800mm - 1,000mm thick perimeter diaphragm wall up to 44m deep, with socketing into rock layer, will be put up to ensure stability of ground water table level, minimise soil settlement risk as well as cutting off vibration transmission to adjacent buildings.
Many buttress walls of 800mm by 8,800mm each shall be constructed to control diaphragm wall deflection during excavation, it added.
The project will also feature top-down construction method to minimise perimeter diaphragm wall deflection and minimise soil settlement risk.
Powerful high frequency vibrators are used to minimise construction noise and vibration and extensive instrumentation has been installed throughout the construction sites for continuous monitoring soil settlement, water table level, vibration and noise.
It was noted that this foundation package is among the largest, most complex foundation works ever in
Cambodia due to the deep excavation, extremely tight site within the heart of Phnom Penh
City and complexities involving large diameter bored piles, thick diaphragm walls, etc.
Total earth excavation volume for the project exceeds 300,000m3.
The construction of the foundation will be completed in phases (18-30 months), allowing super-structure construction to start in the second half of 2022.
Tan Sri Dr Chen Lip Keong, the billionaire founder of Nagacorp, will foot 50 percent of the $3.5 billion required to develop Naga 3. The remaining 50 percent will come from Nagaworld’s internal and external funding options.
Two of the top hotel brands in the world, JW Marriott and Grand Hyatt, are elected to manage some of the towers.
Moody’s Investors Service Inc and S&P Global Ratings Inc, the two leading rating agencies in the world, have already endorsed the project.
Nagacorp, which also owns Naga 1 and Naga 2, has been at the forefront of raising Cambodia’s international profile, created many jobs, and contributed immensely to the development of the local economy and tourism sector.
In 2019, Nagacorp contributed approximately 27 percent of local GDP tourism growth and approximately 1.2 percent of national GDP in Cambodia, according to figures released by the National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia.
