Merdeka 118, formerly known as Warisan Merdeka Tower and KL 118, is a 118-storey, 678.9-metre-tall List of megatall skyscrapers, megatall skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the List of tallest structures, world's second-tallest structure, surpassing the Tokyo Skytree at and the List of tallest buildings, world's second tallest building, surpassing the Shanghai Tower at , but still shorter than the Burj Khalifa at , which is the current List of tallest buildings, tallest building in the world. The building's name, ''Merdeka'' (which means 'independence'), is inspired by its proximity to Stadium Merdeka. The spire of the building was completed in November 2021. As of December 2022, Merdeka 118 is already 95% completed. It is the List of tallest buildings in Malaysia, tallest building in Malaysia and List of tallest buildings in Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia. It surpassed the Petronas Twin Towers as the tallest building in Malaysia and surpassed the Landmark 81 as the tallest building in Southeast Asia, taking these titles by virtue of its tall Spire, spire. The building will also be the first in Malaysia to receive a triple platinum rating from worldwide sustainability certifications, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Background

The Merdeka 118 (the whole precinct's) development is a 19-acre land funded by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB),PM: 118-storey Warisan Merdeka to generate economic opportunities for all
TheStar.com.my with a budget of Malaysian ringgit, RM5 billion (US$ billion).RM5bil Warisan Merdeka will be country's new landmark
TheStar.com.my When completed in 2023, the tower will be the List of tallest buildings in Malaysia, tallest building in Malaysia. It is planned to be constructed in three phases and will consist of of residential, hotel and commercial space. The building will consist of 100 stories of rentable space, including 83 stories of office space, 12 stories of hotel rooms, 5 stories of hotel residences, 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. The non-rentable space consists of elevators, recreational and maintenance facilities, as well as parking spaces for up to 8,500 cars. 60 out of the 80 stories of office space will be reserved for Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the developer of the project, and its subsidiaries.

Site

The building is situated on Petaling Hill, 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 Stadium Merdeka, Merdeka Stadium, and the stalled Plaza Rakyat project (across the Ampang Line). The Merdeka 118 development, when completed, will also have access to the newly built Merdeka MRT station, Merdeka MRT Station on the Kajang line, Kajang Line (SBK) 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.

Design

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!''", 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 Group, Arup. 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. 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: LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building Index and GreenRE.

Floor plans

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

Height

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

Progress

The piling and foundation work for the project was awarded to Pintaras Geotechnics Sdn Bhd. The Permodalan Nasional Berhad shortlisted six groups for various construction jobs: Samsung C&T Corporation, Samsung C&T and UEM Group Bhd; IJM Corporation, IJM Corp Bhd, Norwest Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Shimizu Corp; MRCB, 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, Sinohydro Corp, and Shanghai Construction Group. These companies submitted their bids by January 28, 2015. KONE, a Finnish group, is supplying around 87 elevators and escalators for the project. 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. 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. On 27 February 2018, it was announced that Park Hyatt will open up a hotel in Merdeka 118. 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 Malaysian movement control order, Movement Control Order in Malaysia caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, COVID-19 pandemic in the country, but works resumed in mid-May 2020. 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, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, 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. 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 118 Mall, retail podium. Turner International plays the role of Project Management Consultant for this complex development.https://www.investkl.gov.my/Relevant_News-@-Malaysia_Begins_Construction_of_the_Country%E2%80%99s_Tallest_Skyscraper.aspx The tower was topped out in November 2021.

Criticism

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. 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. In response to the criticism, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who would eventually be directly involved with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, 1MDB scandal, claimed that the project was not a waste and it would "bring more benefits" by generating "economic opportunities".

Transportation

The building will be served by the Kajang line, Kajang Line's Merdeka MRT station located along Jalan Hang Jebat, which is connected to an interchange with the Ampang Line, 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 LRT station, Hang Tuah station, serving both the Ampang Line and KL Monorail, is a 600-metre walk southeast.

Gallery

File:KL118 construction site November 2016.jpg, Foundation works, 2016 File:PNB 118, Kuala Lumpur.jpg, December 2018 File:Merdeka PNB 118, Kuala Lumpur.jpg, July 2019 File:Kuala Lumpur. Merdeka 118. 2019-11-30 20-54-46.jpg, November 2019 File:PNB 118 in 02 2020 1.jpg, February 2020 File:Observatory Deck view of the city at Kuala Lumpur Tower (Menara KL), Malaysia on 28 July 2020 at 143028.jpg, July 2020 File:PNB118 in September 2021.png, September 2021 File:Merdeka 118 under construction at night.jpg, The tower at night, October 2021 File:PNB118 facing the north side.png, The glass elevator shaft in the middle overlooking downtown Kuala Lumpur from Jalan Hang Jebat File:Merdeka118.jpg, Telephoto shot at dusk of the almost completed spire from the east, November 2021 File:Merdeka 118 filled with cork was taken at Kuala Lumpur Tower.jpg, Surrounded by clouds, as seen from Kuala Lumpur Tower, February 2022 File:KL- Merdeka 118 (June 2022).jpg, June 2022, viewed from Changkat Bukit Bintang. File:KL skyline from Bandar Sunway.jpg, The towering Merdeka 118 in the distant background, as seen from a high rise residential building in Bandar Sunway. The The Exchange 106, Exchange 106 and Menara Telekom are also visible. Photo taken in August 2022.

References

{{Supertall skyscrapers Buildings and structures under construction in Malaysia Postmodern architecture in Malaysia Residential skyscrapers in Malaysia Skyscraper hotels in Kuala Lumpur Skyscraper office buildings in Kuala Lumpur Skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur