Merdeka 118
Malay: Merdeka PNB 118
Merdeka 118 viewed from the north side in 2023
Former namesMenara Warisan Merdeka (lit. 'Independence Heritage Tower'), KL 118, PNB 118
Alternative namesMerdeka Tower
Record height
Tallest in Malaysia since 2021[I]
Preceded byThe Exchange 106
General information
StatusCompleted[1]
TypeMixed-use: Shopping complex, housing properties, hotel, observation, public park, office
Architectural styleNeo-futurism and Malay traditional songket pattern
LocationJalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Named forMalaysian Independence
GroundbreakingJuly 2014 (2014-07)[2]
Topped-out30 November 2021 (2021-11-30) [3]
CompletedNovember 2023
OpeningQ3 2024 (Park Hyatt KL), Q4 2024 (observation deck)
Inaugurated10 January 2024[4]
CostRM5 billion[5]
OwnerPNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd (under PNB)
Height
Architectural678.9 m (2,227 ft)[6]
Tip680.5 m (2,233 ft)
Antenna spire160 m (520 ft)
Roof518.9 m (1,702 ft)
Top floor502.8 m (1,650 ft)
Observatory566 m (1,857 ft) (Level spire)
516.9 m (1,696 ft) (View at 118)
Technical details
Structural systemSteel
Reinforced concrete
Concrete encased steel
Floor count118 (with 5 below ground)
Floor area292,000 m2 (3,140,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators87
Design and construction
Architect(s)Fender Katsalidis in association with RSP KL
DeveloperPNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd
Structural engineerLeslie E. Robertson Associates, Robert Bird Group in association with Arup[7]
Main contractorSamsung C&T
UEM Group
Known forFirst skyscraper to exceed 500 m (1,600 ft) and 600 m (2,000 ft) in Malaysia and Southeast Asia
Other information
Parking20,000 parking bays
Public transit access KG17  Merdeka MRT station of the Kajang Line
 AG8   SP8  Plaza Rakyat LRT station via  KG17 
 MR3  Maharajalela Monorail station of the KL Monorail
Website
merdeka118.com
References
[8][9]

Merdeka 118, formerly known as Menara Warisan Merdeka[lower-alpha 1], KL 118 and PNB 118, is a 118-story megatall skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At 678.9 m (2,227 ft) tall, it is the second-tallest building and structure in the world, only behind the Burj Khalifa at 828 m (2,717 ft).

The building's name, Merdeka, which means "independence" in Malay, is inspired by its proximity to Stadium Merdeka.[10] The spire of the building was completed in December 2022, which marked its final height of 678.9 m (2,227 ft) above ground and 700.9 m (2,300 ft) above sea level.[11]

It is the tallest building in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. It surpassed the 453.6 m (1,488 ft) Exchange 106 to become the tallest building in Malaysia and surpassed the 461.2 m (1,513 ft) Landmark 81 to become the tallest building in Southeast Asia.[12] The building will also be the first in Malaysia to receive a triple platinum rating from worldwide sustainability certifications, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).[12]

Background

The Merdeka 118 (the whole precinct's) development is a 19 acres (7.7 ha) land funded by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB),[13][14] with a budget of RM5 billion.[5] When completed in 2023,[15] the tower became the tallest building in Malaysia.[16] It was constructed in three phases and consists of 400,000 square metres (4,300,000 square feet) of residential, hotel and commercial space.[17]

The building is a mix of office spaces, hotels, and retail outlets and an observatory floor which will be the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia. It has two observation decks, the first inside the building and the second inside the spire, and a retail business center (118 Mall). It will be surrounded by four acres of urban and linear parks.[18] The non-rentable space consists of elevators, recreational and maintenance facilities, as well as parking spaces for up to 8,500 cars. Sixty out of the 80 storeys of office space will be reserved for Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the developer of the project, and its subsidiaries.[19][20]

Site

The building is situated on Jalan Hang Jebat, on the location of the former Merdeka Park (subsequently repurposed into an open-air car park). The site lies within the vicinity of landmarks such as Petaling Street, sporting venues including Merdeka Stadium, Stadium Negara and the Chin Woo Stadium, three schools (the Victoria Institution, the Methodist Boys' School and the Chinese-type Jalan Davidson Primary School), and the stalled Plaza Rakyat project (across the Ampang Line).[5] The Merdeka 118 development, when completed, will also have access to the newly built Merdeka MRT station on the Kajang Line (SBK)[21][22] and be directly linked from three major roads via the Belfield Tunnel, which will be a 2-storey underground tunnel passing underneath Kampung Attap and Jalan Maharajalela to the basement of the precinct.[23]

Design

Merdeka 118 was designed to resemble Tunku Abdul Rahman's stature as he proclaimed Malaysian independence on 31 August 1957, chanting "Merdeka!" seven times

The building is designed with a mixture of diamond-shaped glass facades to signify the diversity of Malaysians. The design was made to resemble and inspired by Tunku Abdul Rahman's outstretched hand gesture while chanting "Merdeka!",[24] when he proclaimed the independence of Malaysia on 31 August 1957. The building's cladding will comprise 18,144 panels, 114,000 square-meter of glass, and 1,600 tonnes of window frame extrusions. It will contain the 118 Mall, Grade-A offices, hotels, and residential areas. The structural engineers are Leslie E. Robertson Associates and Robert Bird Group while the civil and structural engineer of record for this tower is Arup.[25][26] The building will be equipped and illuminated at night with 8.4 km of LED light strips which would gradually move from one corner to another.[27] The Neapoli Group, an environmental design and engineering firm, was employed to provide consultancy services towards achieving platinum rating with three Green Building certification bodies: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building Index and GreenRE.[28]

Floor plans

All of the floor plans were obtained from the building's proposals and are subject to change.[29]

Floors Purpose
118 VIP lounge
117 Mechanical
115 – 116 The View At 118 (Skydeck and observatory)
114 Luxury restaurant
113 Mechanical
100 – 112 Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (hotel)
99 Indoor gym, spa and swimming pool (hotel)
97 – 98 Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (hotel)
78 – 96 High zone offices
77 Mechanical
76 Office Sky lobby
75 Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (hotel) Sky lobby
58 – 74 Mid zone 2 offices
43 – 57 Mid zone 1 offices
42 Mechanical
40 – 41 Office Sky lobby
24 – 39 Low zone 2 offices
PNB headquarters and its subsidiaries
8 – 23 Low zone 1 offices
PNB headquarters and its subsidiaries
6 – 7 Mechanical
5 Office lobby
4 Reception, office lobby, lift lobby, exit to Merdeka Boulevard At 118
(South foyer from Jalan Stadium)
3 Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (hotel) lobby, cafe, conference, parking, Side entrance to 118 mall and future development
2 The View At 118 (Skydeck and observatory) entrance, void of lobby
1 Concourse level, commercial lobby, hotel elevators, restaurant elevator, parking, loading dock, entrance to 118 mall and future development
(North foyer from Jalan Hang Jebat)
B1 Basement parking
B2 Mechanical

Height

The height of the spire, crown, roof, top floor, observation and residential towers of Merdeka 118.

Height information Height
Architectural 678.9 m (2,227 ft)
Tip 680.5 m (2,233 ft)
Spire 160 m (520 ft)
Crown 531.2 m (1,743 ft)
Roof 518.9 m (1,702 ft)
Top floor 502.8 m (1,650 ft)
Observation 516.9 m (1,696 ft) and 566 m (1,857 ft)
Merdeka Residential Tower 1 241.3 m (792 ft)
Merdeka Residential Tower 2 233.4 m (766 ft)

Progress

Construction of the tower's base as viewed from Jalan Hang Jebat in September 2021.

The piling and foundation work for the project was awarded to Pintaras Geotechnics Sdn Bhd.[30][31] The Permodalan Nasional Berhad shortlisted six groups for various construction jobs: Samsung C&T and UEM Group Bhd; IJM Corp Bhd, Norwest Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Shimizu Corp; Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd and State Construction Engineering Corp; WCT Bhd and Arabtec Construction LLC; TSR Capital Bhd and Daewoo Group; Seacera Group Bhd with Spaz Sdn Bhd, Sinohydro Corp, and Shanghai Construction Group. These companies submitted their bids by January 28, 2015.[32][33] KONE, a Finnish group, is supplying around 87 elevators and escalators for the project.[34]

On 23 November 2015, PNB announced a contract worth RM3.4 billion has been awarded to the joint venture of South Korea's Samsung C&T and UEM Group Berhad.[35] Furthermore, on 9 November 2017, PNB planned to raise up to RM5 billion fund for its project via a green sukuk, the Merdeka Asean Green SRI Sukuk, with a 15-year tenure. The sukuk covered the development of its 83-storey office space, which forms part of the tower. It is the first adopter of the Asean Green Bond Standards launched by the Securities Commission Malaysia that validates PNB commitment to develop the project as a sustainable and environmentally-friendly project.[36]

On 27 February 2018, it was announced that Park Hyatt will open up a hotel in Merdeka 118.[37] The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will occupy the top 17 floors of the building; It is slated to have 232 units, including 28 suites and 30 apartments.

The construction was halted on 18 March 2020 due to the Movement Control Order in Malaysia caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, but works resumed in mid-May 2020.[38] In early August 2020, the building's concrete core topped out at 118 floors surpassing the Vincom Landmark 81 as the tallest building in Southeast Asia. On 25 October 2020, PNB president, Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn, announced that Phases 1 and 2 are expected to be finished in 2022 Q3. Phase 3 is expected to be completed in 2024 or 2025. The construction is currently in Phase 1, which focuses on the tower.[39]

As of 8 June 2021, the tower was at 81% completion, with the installation of the glass façade in progress at Level 108 and has successfully reached Level 118 with its spire already 50% assembled along with the retail podium.[40] Turner International plays the role of Project Management Consultant for this complex development.[41] The tower was topped out in November 2021.[11]

Criticism

Practicality of the structure

Many Malaysians have criticized this project, adding that it is unnecessary and a waste of "public funds", having been funded by the Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), a state-owned enterprise of the Malaysian government.[42] Amounting to more than RM5 billion, it is said that the money could have been better used for other practical causes, such as education and healthcare, which has been increasingly deteriorating in the country.[42] In response to the criticism, former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who would eventually be directly involved with the 1MDB scandal, claimed that the project was not a waste and it would "bring more benefits" by generating "economic opportunities".[13]

Trespassing incidents

In 2022, a viral video began circulating online when a group of American individuals[43] trespassed towards the top of Merdeka 118, prompting criticism of the lack of security measures at the site.[44] In a statement, the developer stated that such stunts are illegal and that trespassing is illegal by law. The group was eventually charged under Section 457 of the Malaysian Penal Code.[45]

That same year, another trespassing incident occurred when Russian rooftoppers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus scaled the spire of Merdeka 118, prompting further criticism.[46][47][48] Malaysian police requested for the entry and exit records of the couple from the Immigration Department, which responded that there is no records of the duo entering or exiting Malaysia, suggesting that they had entered the country illegally.[49] Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has confirmed that a full investigation is ongoing.[50]

Transportation

Future linked connection via its dedicated station on the MRT Kajang Line

The building will be served by the Kajang Line's Merdeka MRT station located along Jalan Hang Jebat, which is connected to an interchange with the Ampang/Sri Petaling Line's Plaza Rakyat LRT station.

It will also be accessible from the Maharajalela Monorail station connected through the precinct's linear park under the development.

The Hang Tuah station, serving both the Ampang Line and KL Monorail, is a 600-metre walk southeast.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ English: Independence Heritage Tower

References

  1. ↑ "Merdeka PNB118 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com.
  2. ↑ "Piling work starts on KL118". KiniBiz (defunct). 3 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Merdeka 118 Tower set to open late-2023". The Star. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Menara Merdeka 118, a tower of success in navigating independence, says King". The Star (Malaysia). 10 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 RM5bil Warisan Merdeka will be country's new landmark. TheStar.com.my
  6. ↑ "Merdeka 118 tower on track for completion late 2022". The Malaysia's Reserve. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "KL118 Tower - The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com.
  8. ↑ "Merdeka PNB118 - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Warisan Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur - Building 1221285 - EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  10. ↑ Rani, Nur Amirah Abd (3 September 2021). "Merdeka 118 mercu tanda integrasi masa depan" [Merdeka 118, landmark of future integration] (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  11. 1 2 Ngui, Yantoultra (30 November 2021). "Malaysia completes Merdeka Tower cone". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  12. 1 2 Rahim, Rahimy (30 November 2021). "PM: Completion of Merdeka 118 tower spire, the world's second-tallest building, a 'proud moment'". The Star. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  13. 1 2 PM: 118-storey Warisan Merdeka to generate economic opportunities for all. TheStar.com.my
  14. ↑ "End-to-End BIM Improves Project Design of 2nd Tallest Building in the World Under Construction in Malaysia". gwprime. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Merdeka 118 Tower set to open mid-2023". The Star. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Merdeka 118 super-tall tower: What you need to know". 10 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Malaysia Chronicle | A place to speak up on Politics, Business, Social". 30 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "Amenities : Merdeka 118". Merdeka 118. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "Malaysia to Get New Iconic Landmark KL118". www.kl118.com.my. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016.
  20. ↑ "New PNB skyscraper to meet the demand for space - Daily Express Newspaper Online, Sabah, Malaysia". dailyexpress.com.my. 13 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Malaysia Chronicle | A place to speak up on Politics, Business, Social". 30 September 2020.
  22. ↑ "Underground jewels for the Klang Valley MRT - Features - The Star Online". thestar.com.my. 4 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "This unconventional 'kampung' is Kuala Lumpur's next property hot spot". The Edge Markets. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  24. ↑ "Set to be one of the world's tallest buildings in 2022". www.arup.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  25. ↑ Skyscraper Center "KL118 Tower - The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com.
  26. ↑ "A spectacular blend of the historic and contemporary in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with approximately one million sq ft of retail opportunities". 118 Mall. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  27. ↑ "Menara Merdeka 118, Bangunan kedua tertinggi Dunia selepas Burj Khalifa? In faktanya…". Sinar Plus. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  28. ↑ NEAPOLI SDN BHD "NEAPOLI TO HELP BUILD THE WORLDS THIRD TALLEST BUILDING". neapoli.com.
  29. ↑ "Technical : Merdeka 118 building". www.merdeka118.com.
  30. ↑ "Pintaras shares up after bagging RM74mil Warisan Merdeka job - Business News - The Star Online". thestar.com.my. 13 March 2014.
  31. ↑ "Pintaras wins RM74m PNB Warisan Merdeka tower contract". Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  32. ↑ Sharen (5 December 2014). "Six in the running". NST Online. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  33. ↑ "Malaysia Chronicle | A place to speak up on Politics, Business, Social". 30 September 2020.
  34. ↑ Joakim Persson (11 October 2015). "PAnother big KONE order in Malaysia". ScanAsia.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  35. ↑ Zainul, Intan Farhana (23 November 2015). "PNB confirms RM3.4b Menara KL118 contract awarded". The Star. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  36. ↑ "PNB to raise RM2b via green sukuk to fund Merdeka 118 Tower". The Edge Markets. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  37. ↑ "Park Hyatt to take up residence at PNB 118".
  38. ↑ "Construction of PNB's Merdeka 118 tower reaches 111 floors". The Star. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  39. ↑ "Merdeka 118 project back on track after MCO". New Straits Times. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  40. ↑ "Merdeka 118 tower safely tops out".
  41. ↑ https://www.investkl.gov.my/Relevant_News-@-Malaysia_Begins_Construction_of_the_Country%E2%80%99s_Tallest_Skyscraper.aspx
  42. 1 2 Chen, Heather (2 December 2021). "This Country Is Building the World's Second-Tallest Skyscraper. But Citizens Aren't Thrilled". www.vice.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  43. ↑ Wong, Chee (11 January 2023). "M'sian authorities confirm that 4 US men who scaled spire of Merdeka 118 were arrested & charged back in May 2022". Wau Post. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  44. ↑ Ibrahim, Junaid (10 January 2023). "Viral video of Merdeka 118 trespassers taken last year, culprits already caught and charged". The Star. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  45. ↑ "Merdeka 118 Tower: Group of male trespasssers video taken may last year - PNBMV". BERNAMA. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  46. ↑ "Daredevil couple who scaled Malaysia's Merdeka 118 tower under probe". The Straits Times. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  47. ↑ "挑战攀爬默迪卡118 警方将传召俄罗斯情侣调查". Oriental Daily News (Malaysia). 28 December 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  48. ↑ "Merdeka 118, le deuxième plus haut gratte-ciel du monde, doit ouvrir ses portes en 2023". Ouest-France. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  49. ↑ "'No record of Russian duo entering or exiting country'". The Star. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  50. ↑ "Merdeka 118: Saifuddin to get full report on alleged trespass". Sinar Daily. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.

3°8′30″N 101°42′2″E / 3.14167°N 101.70056°E / 3.14167; 101.70056

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