Image: Wikipedia
25 years ago today, on April 15, 1998, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur were officially declared the tallest building in the world at the time – with a height of 452 meters. The towers, the tops of which are modeled on a minaret, made Malaysia’s capital internationally famous. Now the metropolitan region in Asia with around nine million inhabitants is once again preparing to stand out internationally with a mega-skyscraper.
Merdeka 118 is currently under construction in Chinatown. As the name suggests, it has 118 floors – and at a height of 678.9 meters will initially be the second tallest building in the world. For comparison: That is more than twice as high as the Eiffel Tower and almost three times as high as the tallest skyscraper in Germany, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt (259 meters). The 828 meter high Burj Khalifa in Dubai continues to hold the top spot. Outpacing the impressive record holder in the desert emirate should be a huge challenge.
“It was quite a hype when the Petronas Towers opened back then. The Malaysians were really proud of this splendour,” says singer Siva Kumar, who has performed in the skyscraper himself. “The twin towers have also attracted a lot of tourists to the city, especially because of the skybridge.” To this day, crowds of onlookers flock in the evenings to experience the “Lake Symphony” on the square in front, a fascinating spectacle of water fountains, lights and music. Inside, visitors will find Kuala Lumpur’s most famous shopping mall, Suria KLCC.
“From coffee shop to metropolis”
The Petronas Towers took six years to build. At first glance they look futuristic like a gigantic spaceship or “like two silver rockets that have sprung from an episode of Flash Gordon”. At least that’s how the “Lonely Planet” describes the construction. They embodied “the perfect allegory for the city’s meteoric rise from a dump for tin workers to a metropolis of the 21st century,” says the cult travel guide.
The landmark was built by the petroleum company Petronas and the award-winning Argentinian architect César Pelli (1926-2019). Despite the modernist appearance, traditional motifs from Islamic art are embedded in the design, paying homage to Malaysia’s Muslim heritage. The floor plan corresponds to the shape of an octagonal star, the inner edges of which curve outwards.
The Merdeka 118 will be a lot slimmer than the Petronas Towers. Construction began in 2015, and according to the client PNB Merdeka Ventures, the skyscraper will probably be completed by the end of the year. “The 115th and 116th floors will have the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia and the second highest in the world – an exciting global tourist attraction,” said CEO Tengku Dato’ Ab Aziz Tengku Mahmud. In addition, a seven-storey shopping center called 118 Mall is planned.
1.4 billion euros costs
The total cost of the construction, made of glass, steel and what it says is sustainable concrete, is seven billion Malaysian ringgits. That’s the equivalent of 1.4 billion euros. Merdeka 118 is very close to Merdeka Stadium, where the 1957 Declaration of Independence of the Federation of Malaya from Great Britain was read. Merdeka means independence.
Source: Nachrichten
