Merdeka 118

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).

Merdeka 118
Malay: Merdeka PNB 118
Merdeka 118, as viewed from the Kuala Lumpur Tower, 2023
Former names	Menara Warisan Merdeka (lit. 'Independence Heritage Tower'), KL 118, PNB 118
Alternative names	Merdeka Tower
Record height
Tallest in Malaysia since 2021[I]
Preceded by	The Exchange 106
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Mixed-use: Shopping complex, housing properties, hotel, observation, public park, office
Architectural style	Neo-futurism and Malay traditional songket pattern
Location	Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Named for	Malaysian Independence
Groundbreaking	July 2014; 9 years ago (2014-07)
Topped-out	30 November 2021; 2 years ago (2021-11-30)
Completed	November 2023
Opening	Q3 2024 (Park Hyatt KL) Q4 2024 (observation deck)
Inaugurated	10 January 2024; 3 months ago (2024-01-10)
Cost	RM5 billion
Owner	PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd (under PNB)
Height
Architectural	678.9 m (2,227 ft)
Tip	680.5 m (2,233 ft)[citation needed]
Antenna spire	160 m (520 ft)
Roof	518.9 m (1,702 ft)
Top floor	502.8 m (1,650 ft)[citation needed]
Observatory	566 m (1,857 ft) (Level spire) 483 m (1,585 ft) (View at 118)
Technical details
Structural system	Steel Reinforced concrete Concrete encased steel
Floor count	118 (with 5 below ground)
Floor area	292,000 m2 (3,140,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	87 (mall included)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Fender Katsalidis in association with RSP KL
Developer	PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd
Structural engineer	Leslie E. Robertson Associates, Robert Bird Group in association with Arup
Main contractor	Samsung C&T UEM Group
Known for	First skyscraper to exceed 500 m (1,600 ft) and 600 m (2,000 ft) in Malaysia and Southeast Asia
Other information
Parking	20,000 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

The building's name, Merdeka, which means "independence" in Malay, is inspired by its proximity to Stadium Merdeka. 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.

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. 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).

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

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. 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.

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). The Merdeka 118 development, when completed, will also have access to the newly built Merdeka MRT station on the 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.

 

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 was to comprise 18,144 panels, 114,000 square-meter of glass, and 1,600 tonnes of window frame extrusions. It was to contain the 118 Mall, Grade-A offices, hotels, and residential areas. The structural engineers awere Leslie E. Robertson Associates and Robert Bird Group while the civil and structural engineer of record for this tower is Arup. The building has been 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: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building Index and GreenRE.

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

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

 

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 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. 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 Movement Control Order in Malaysia caused by the 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, 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 retail podium. Turner International plays the role of Project Management Consultant for this complex development. The tower was topped out in November 2021.

On 10 January 2024, then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah officially inaugurated Merdeka 118, stated that the new landmark "symbolises the people celebrating the diversity of the country as an independent nation".

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. 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 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".

Trespassing incidents

In 2022, a viral video began circulating online when a group of American individuals trespassed towards the top of Merdeka 118, prompting criticism of the lack of security measures at the site. 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.

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

 

The building will be served by the 9 Kajang Line's  KG17  Merdeka MRT station located along Jalan Hang Jebat, which is connected to an interchange with the 34 LRT Ampang and Sri Petaling Lines'  AG8  SP8  Plaza Rakyat LRT station.^{[citation needed]}

It will also be accessible from the  MR3  Maharajalela Monorail station on the 8 KL Monorail Line, connected through the precinct's linear park under the development.^{[citation needed]}

The  AG9  SP9  MR8  Hang Tuah station, serving the 3 LRT Ampang Line, 4 LRT Sri Petaling Line and 8 KL Monorail, is a 600-metre walk southeast.^{[citation needed]}

•  
  Foundation works, 2016
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  Merdeka 118 in the middle of construction, July 2019
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  Merdeka 118 at night, November 2019
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  Merdeka 118 in February 2020, before construction stopped on 18 March
•  
  Looking up Merdeka 118, September 2021
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  The glass elevator shaft in the middle overlooking downtown Kuala Lumpur from Jalan Hang Jebat
•  
  Telephoto shot at dusk of the almost completed spire from the east, November 2021
•  
  Viewed from Changkat Bukit Bintang, June 2022
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  Viewed from Central Market Station, December 2022
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  Views from Kuala Lumpur Tower, March 2023
•  
  Merdeka 118 in March 2023
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  Merdeka 118 on Merdeka Day 2023
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  Merdeka 118 testing LEDs, October 2023

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