“Mega-tall” skyscraper Merdeka 118 is now the world’s second-tallest building behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, standing 2,227 feet above Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The building, recently named in CNN‘s top 10 of “new buildings set to shape the world in 2023” list, was designed Australian by architecture firm Fender Katsalidis. Topped out in 202, Merdeka 118 is set to be completed in the second half of 2023.
The structure and the sprawling mall at its base promises around 1 million square feet of retail space, as well an 1,000-seat theater, offices, a hotel and Southeast Asia’s highest observation deck.
The Merdeka 118 construction started back in 2016 overlooking Stadium Merdeka, a historically significant site built for Malaysia’s declaration of independence in 1957.
“We feel incredibly proud to have contributed to the creation of this building and its host of community assets which enrich one of the most culturally significant sites in Malaysia,” said Fender Katsalidis’ co-founder Karl Fender.
“First and foremost, our priority was to respect this site and harness every opportunity to create a tower that enriched the social energy and cultural fabric of the city.”Fender Katsalidis is not the only Greek name involved in the construction of Merdeka.
Dr Stellios Plainiotis CEO of NEAPOLI, an environmental mechanics and design Hellenic company based in Kuala Lumpur is behind the building’s eco conscious design intended to minimise its environmental footprint.
The list also includes:
– the Aerotropolis’ first structure — appropriately named the Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) First Building, in Sydney, Australia set to create 100,000 new jobs
– the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem
– Nordø, the 115-home green development in Copenhagen, Denmark
– the Lola Mora Cultural Center, in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
– the Abrahamic Family House temple in Abu Dhabi, UAE
– a 1.3-mile cultural corridor between metro lines in Destination Crenshaw, in LA, USA
– the Kempegowda International Airport expansion in Bengaluru, India
– and the Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza, Egypt