Work begins on Malaysia’s tallest tower

The 118-storey building in Kuala Lumpur is at the heart of the Warisan Merdeka mixed-use development.

Senior leaders from developer Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) gathered alongside Turner and other project stakeholders as Malaysia’s prime minister officially launched the project and gave the tower its name: Merdeka PNB118.

The final height has not been disclosed but the Petronas Towers, by comparison, have 88 floors above ground and five below. Between 1998 and 2004 the Petronas Towers was the world's tallest building, at 451.9 metres. Merdeka PNB118 is set to reach even higher.

“The Merdeka PNB118 tower project builds on our experience managing landmark projects in Southeast Asia, as well as our experience delivering technically sophisticated, mega-tall structures in growing cities around the world,” said Peter Ramstedt, Turner’s project director.  

The building is designed by Australia-based Fender Katsalidis Architects and stands within a 19-acre, multi-phase development. It is scheduled for completion in 2020 and will house PNB’s group of companies over 60 floors, with 23 floors of rentable commercial space and an 18-storey luxury with 236 rooms, as well as sky lobbies and observation decks.

The project is seeking triple Platinum sustainability certification under the USGBC’s LEED program, the Malaysian Green Building Index (GBI), and the Malaysian GreenRE program, in addition to MSC Malaysia Cybercentre status.

“With Kuala Lumpur as Turner’s regional hub, the growth of the Malaysian market is very important to us,” said Ramstedt. “The Warisan Merdeka development will be an iconic landmark, adding to Kuala Lumpur’s attractiveness as an investment and tourist destination and helping to define a new Malaysia.”

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