Malaysia completes spire of world’s second-tallest tower
Malaysia on November 30 completed the spire of the Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, which will become the world’s second-tallest skyscraper at 678.9 meters behind Dubai’s 828-meter Burj Khalifa when eventually completed in 2022, surpassing the 632-meter tall Shanghai Tower in China.
The project will be an “economic catalyst” for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as a whole, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said at a ceremony on the same day.
The Merdeka 118, together with surrounding buildings in the precinct, is funded by government-owned investment company Permodalan Nasional Berhad with a budget of five billion ringgit ($1.18 billion) and is being built by a consortium of South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corporation and Malaysia’s UEM Group, with 85 per cent of the works completed.
When finished, the tower will consist of nearly 300,000 square meters of residential, hotel and commercial space on 118 floors, of which five are below ground. There will be 100 floors of rentable space, including 83 floors of office space, as well as 12 floors of hotel rooms and five floors of hotel residences which will be occupied by the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, a first for the luxury hotel brand in Malaysia.
Highest observation deck in Southeast Asia
The observatory floors on the 114th floor will be the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia. On the floor below, a restaurant will offer spectacular views, and above it, there will be a three-storey skydeck for functions and events and a VIP lounge at the highest floor 118.
Further, the tower will comprise of a retail business center, be surrounded by 1.6 hectares of landscaped park area and offer parking spaces for up to 8,500 cars.
In his speech on occasion of the spire completion, the Prime Minister said that he was “proud” of the progress in the tower construction amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is not only a great achievement in the field of engineering, but also further strengthens Malaysia’s position as a modern and developed country,” he said.
Criticism over costs and economic benefits
The project, however, also attracted criticism, with some questioning the need for another skyscraper at a time when the economy is recovering from the protracted Covid-19 lockdowns imposed for most of this year and Malaysia already being home to the world’s tallest twin structures, the Petronas Towers.
Others said that the money for the building could have better been invested in healthcare and education, while some doubted the economic effect of the building as 60 out of the 83 office floors are reserved for project developer Permodalan Nasional Berhad itself, and its subsidiaries.
Malaysia on November 30 completed the spire of the Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, which will become the world’s second-tallest skyscraper at 678.9 meters behind Dubai’s 828-meter Burj Khalifa when eventually completed in 2022, surpassing the 632-meter tall Shanghai Tower in China. The project will be an “economic catalyst” for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as a whole, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said at a ceremony on the same day. The Merdeka 118, together with surrounding buildings in the precinct, is funded by government-owned investment company Permodalan Nasional Berhad with a budget of five billion ringgit ($1.18 billion) and...
Malaysia on November 30 completed the spire of the Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, which will become the world’s second-tallest skyscraper at 678.9 meters behind Dubai’s 828-meter Burj Khalifa when eventually completed in 2022, surpassing the 632-meter tall Shanghai Tower in China.
The project will be an “economic catalyst” for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as a whole, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said at a ceremony on the same day.
The Merdeka 118, together with surrounding buildings in the precinct, is funded by government-owned investment company Permodalan Nasional Berhad with a budget of five billion ringgit ($1.18 billion) and is being built by a consortium of South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corporation and Malaysia’s UEM Group, with 85 per cent of the works completed.
When finished, the tower will consist of nearly 300,000 square meters of residential, hotel and commercial space on 118 floors, of which five are below ground. There will be 100 floors of rentable space, including 83 floors of office space, as well as 12 floors of hotel rooms and five floors of hotel residences which will be occupied by the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, a first for the luxury hotel brand in Malaysia.
Highest observation deck in Southeast Asia
The observatory floors on the 114th floor will be the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia. On the floor below, a restaurant will offer spectacular views, and above it, there will be a three-storey skydeck for functions and events and a VIP lounge at the highest floor 118.
Further, the tower will comprise of a retail business center, be surrounded by 1.6 hectares of landscaped park area and offer parking spaces for up to 8,500 cars.
In his speech on occasion of the spire completion, the Prime Minister said that he was “proud” of the progress in the tower construction amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is not only a great achievement in the field of engineering, but also further strengthens Malaysia’s position as a modern and developed country,” he said.
Criticism over costs and economic benefits
The project, however, also attracted criticism, with some questioning the need for another skyscraper at a time when the economy is recovering from the protracted Covid-19 lockdowns imposed for most of this year and Malaysia already being home to the world’s tallest twin structures, the Petronas Towers.
Others said that the money for the building could have better been invested in healthcare and education, while some doubted the economic effect of the building as 60 out of the 83 office floors are reserved for project developer Permodalan Nasional Berhad itself, and its subsidiaries.
