ODOM has reached a defining moment in the construction journey with the completion of the five-floor basement, a major milestone that signals the close of one of the project’s most critical phases and the beginning of another. With the underground structure now complete, ODOM moves toward a new stage as the superstructure prepares to rise above ground.
While much of a building’s identity is eventually expressed in what people see, its strength is determined long before that point. For ODOM, this underground phase has been where long-term stability, safety, and performance were established with care and precision. As David, Senior Project Executive overseeing the delivery of ODOM, explains, “This stage is very critical because everything above relies on what is built below.”
That importance is magnified by the scale of the development itself. The basement is not simply a hidden technical layer beneath the project. It is the structural base that supports two towers and a five-floor podium designed to serve the city for decades to come. In David’s words, “The underground structure carries the weight of two towers and a podium that will serve people for decades.”
To deliver this phase, ODOM adopted the semi top-down construction method, an advanced engineering approach often used for large, technically demanding developments in dense urban settings. Rather than completing excavation first and building afterwards, this method allows structural slabs to be formed progressively as excavation continues downward. Each completed level contributes to the stability of the structure, enabling the basement to take shape in a carefully sequenced and controlled manner.
Its relevance to ODOM is both practical and strategic. A five-floor basement in a central urban location demands a construction approach that prioritizes structural integrity from the outset while also managing ground conditions with greater control. Combined with extensive excavation, major foundation works, and the installation of a 1-meter-thick diaphragm wall, the semi top-down method has helped create a permanent and secure base for everything that will follow. As David notes, “By taking a careful, methodical approach now, including the semi top-down construction, we create a stable foundation that allows the rest of the building to rise more smoothly, safely, and efficiently.”
More importantly, this stage reflects a broader commitment to building for the long term. ODOM has approached the underground phase not as something merely functional, but as the point at which the quality of the entire development is first set. “This is where durability and safety are built, and these qualities cannot be added on later,” David says.
Now, with the basement structure complete, the project enters a more visible chapter. What has until now been largely unseen will soon begin to emerge in full view, as the podium and superstructure rise and ODOM’s form becomes increasingly present on the Phnom Penh skyline. “Once the basement structure is completed and sealed, buyers will start to see the building rise,” David explains.
This is the significance of the milestone. It marks the moment ODOM moves from foundation to form, from what has been built beneath the city to what will soon stand above it. The project takes a decisive step forward, and the next phase of ODOM is ready to begin.
