Look: World’s new second-tallest building tops out at 678.9 metres

MERDEKA 118 TOWER TOPS OUT AT 678.9 METRES: The spire of a soaring 118-storey skyscraper has topped out at 678.9 meters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently. “Topping out” means putting the highest structural feature on a building, typically as a ceremony to mark the building's structural completion. The Merdeka 118, also known as PNB 118, will have the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia.

WORLD’S TOP SKYSCRAPERS: Following are the world’s top skyscrapers — Burj Khalifa (Dubai), 828 metres; Merdeka 118 (Kuala Lumpur), 678.9 metres; Shanghai Tower (Shanghai), 632 metres; Abraj Al Beit (Mecca), 601 metres; Ping-An Finance Cetre (Shenzhen), 599.1 metres; Lotte World Tower (Seoul), 555.7 metres; and the One World Trade Centre (New York ) 541.3 metres.

INSPIRATION: The firm said the triangular glass planes on the building's facade were inspired by patterns found in Malaysian arts and crafts. The design also symbolically represents “the rich cultural mix that defines the people of the country," the company said in a press release.

BUILDING SITE: Merdeka 118 Tower is set in four-acre site, in a historic part of Kuala Lumpur, which will also contain public spaces and a park at ground level, the skyscraper overlooks the Stadium Merdeka, where former leader Tunku Abdul Rahman declared Malaysian independence in 1957.

FACADE: Triangular glass facets define the sculptural folds of the Merdeka 118 tower’s facade. This condition takes inspiration from the patterns inherent in Malaysian art and craft/. It also symbolises the rich cultural diversity that defines the people of the country.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: The tower design is based on the silhouette of Tunku Abdul Rahman raising his hand while chanting “Merdeka!” (Malay for “Independent”) on August 31, 1957, the official independence day of Malaysia. The spire that tops the building reflects the image of Tunku Abdul Rahman famously raising his hand during the chant.

DESIGN FIRM: Fender Katsalidis is the Australian architecture practice behind the project.

CELEBRATION: Karl Fender, one of the design firm’s founding partners, said in a media statement that the building was designed to enrich the social energy and cultural fabric of the city. “In addition, the achievement of creating the second-tallest building in the world celebrates the years of planning, problem-solving, collaboration and human endeavour required to realise a building of this complexity," Fender was quoted as saying. "Achieving this height milestone is a welcome bonus."

BREAKING GROUND: The project was unveiled in 2010, and broke ground in 2016. Construction was temporarily stopped in March 2020 when the Malaysian government introduced strict lockdown measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.

KUALA LUMPUR SKYSCRAPERS: Super-tall buildings have transformed the Malaysian capital’s skyline in recent years. KL is now the 13th-tallest city in the world, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. From 1998 and 2004, the 1,483-foot Petronas Towers (height: 452 metres, in photo) stood as the world's tallest buildings between. The twin towers were surpassed by Taiwan's Taipei 101 in 2004.

EXCHANGE 106 TOWER: In 2019, the 106-story Exchange 106 tower (height 452 metres to the tip) became Kuala Lumpur’s — and Southeast Asia's — then-tallest skyscraper. It stands within the Tun Razak Exchange, KL’s new financial district, and is currently the 15th-tallest building. The Merdeka 118 tower, as seen from the Exhange 106 tower in KL.

TOPPING OUT CEREMONY: Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob graced the recent topping-out ceremony that marks the spire's completion. PM Yaakob described the project as an "iconic tower for the future.” "This is not only a great achievement in the field of engineering. But it also further strengthens Malaysia's position as a modern and developed country,” he said.

MALL, OFFICES & HOTEL: The tower comprises of 3.1 million square feet of floor space (287,999 sqm) — more than half of which will be offered as office. Merdeka 118 will also have a mall, a mosque, a Park Hyatt hotel and Southeast Asia's highest observation deck.