By Chan Quan Min
Construction work has begun on Malaysia’s tallest skyscraper after going through a name change from Warisan Merdeka to KL118 almost unnoticed.
Photographs of the site (photo removed on request of owner) show machinery has been brought in to start work on the deep foundation needed for the 600 metre high building.
The piling work is being carried out by Bursa-listed Pintaras Jaya Bhd, which won a RM74 million contract earlier this year to prepare the skyscraper’s foundations.
KL118 will cost its state investment fund owner, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), about RM5 billion to construct. The 400,000 square metre development will have commercial, residential and retail functions.
PNB has not made an announcement of the name change to KL118 from Warisan Merdeka. Instead, news of the change came from a statement by Kone, an elevator manufacturer.
Late last month, Kone announced it had been selected to supply “105 elevators and escalators to KL118 Tower, a 118-storey mixed use tower developed by PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd.”
The equipment ordered from Kone is decidedly high-tech and includes two double-deck observation elevators with a travel height of almost half a kilometre.
Public access to the site has been restricted for months now, putting an end to intermittent protest activity against the development. On the Internet, Malaysians had voiced out even louder, creating Facebook groups such as 1M Malaysians Reject 100-Storey Mega Tower.
The skyscraper project is controversial because of the historic value of the site, adjacent to Merdeka Stadium, where Malaysia’s independence was declared in 1957.
Lew Pik-Svonn, a community organiser who helped found a protest movement against the project called Merdeka KL, told KiniBiz the site of KL118 was the former location of Merdeka Park.
“It was the second oldest park in KL, built a few days before Merdeka in 1957 by Tunku Abdul Rahman as a gift to the people; as a symbol of our freedom and independence. In 1997, it was torn down without public consent despite the park still being fully used at that time,” she said.
“The companies responsible for this demolition will replace this historical icon with a 118-storey office tower, shopping mall, luxury condominium and a 4-star hotel.
“This will make it accessible and enjoyable only for the privileged, not for all, like it used to be,” she added.
Privately, property developers have voiced out dissatisfaction with government agencies such as PNB and 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) adding more commercial floor area to a property market facing a glut in office space.
PNB has been silent on the project so far this year. In 2010, PNB president and group CEO Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman told The Star “the heritage part will not be sacrificed and will actually serve as the enhancement factor to the commercial aspects of the building. The heritage preservation of the stadiums will be undertaken by the heritage trust.”
He assured the building will be built to green-building standards and be a “beacon” to attract interest and excitement to the area.
PNB’s corporate communications desk did not answer repeated calls made today for this article.
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