KL118

Background

The Warisan Merdeka development is funded by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), with a budget of RM5 billion.

When completed in 2019, the tower will be the tallest building in Malaysia and the third tallest in the world. It will consist of 400,000 square metres (4,300,000 square feet) of residential, hotel and commercial space. It will exceed the height of the 88 storey Petronas Twin Towers.

The building will consist of 100 storeys of rentable space, including 80 storeys of office space, 12 storeys of hotel rooms, 5 storeys of hotel residences and a retail business center. The non-rentable space consists of elevators, recreational and maintenance facilities, as well as parking spaces for up to 5,000 cars. 60 out of the 80 storeys of office space will be reserved for Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the developer of the project, and its subsidiaries.

Site

The tower is sited at Petaling Hill, a low-density hill directly southeast of the historic Kuala Lumpur old town, on the location of the former Merdeka Park (which was subsequently repurposed into an open-air car park). The site lies within the vicinity of a number of historic landmarks with little modern development: Independence-era sporting venues including the Merdeka Stadium, the National Stadium and the Chin Woo Stadium, the pre-war school grounds of the Methodist Boys' School and Victoria Institution and the stalled Plaza Rakyat project (across the Ampang Line). The KL118 development, when completed, will also have access to the newly built MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line excavated underneath the southern end of Kuala Lumpur old town.

Design

The tower is to create a memorable new landmark for Kuala Lumpur. The design resemble Tunku Abdul Rahman's right hand raised during the Merdeka Proclamation with an unclenched fist to signify the peaceful nature of the nation's struggle for its independence. It will contain a shopping complex, offices, and residential areas.

Progress

The piling and foundation work for the project was awarded to Pintaras Geotechnics Sdn Bhd.

Permodalan Nasional Bhd shortlisted six groups for various construction jobs such as UEM Group Bhd-Samsung, IJM Corp Bhd-Norwest Holdings Sdn Bhd- Shimizu Corp, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd-China State Construction Engineering Corp, WCT Bhd-Arabtec Construction LLC, TSR Capital Bhd-Daewoo Group, and Seacera Group Bhd-Spaz Sdn Bhd-Sinohydro Corp-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 RM 3.4 Billion has been awarded to the joint venture of South Korea’s Samsung C&T and UEM Group Bhd.

Criticism

Many have criticised this project, claiming that it is wasteful and the RM5 billion funds could have been used for other causes like healthcare or education.

In response to the criticism, the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak claimed that the project was not a waste and will bring more benefits by generating economic opportunities.

Construction site

As of September 2016, piling work has been completed and above ground work is about to commence.