Samsung C&T announced on Jan. 11 that it has completed the Merdeka 118 building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which stands at a height of 679 meters. The building was officially opened on Jan. 10.
With this achievement, Samsung C&T has now completed both the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (completed in 2009, 828 m), and the second tallest, establishing its reputation as a leading construction company.
The opening ceremony on Jan. 10 was attended by various dignitaries including the King and Queen of Malaysia; Chairman Arshad Raja Tun Uda of the Malaysian National Fund (PNB), the project’s client; and Oh Se-chul, a representative of Samsung C&T. The King of Malaysia personally delivered a congratulatory speech and signed a commemorative plaque, adding significance to the building’s completion.
Merdeka 118 is a massive complex comprising 118 floors above ground and 5 below, with a total area of 673,862 square meters. The building houses offices, luxury hotels, and shopping malls. Notably, it features an observation deck at the top floor, offering panoramic views of the city, which is expected to become a world-famous attraction.
The construction of Merdeka 118 involved sophisticated techniques, including a 160-meter spire and high-pressure concrete pumping. Samsung C&T employed a “lift-up” method to install the spire without using tower cranes at a height of 500 meters, pushing it up using hydraulic jacks. The project also applied high-pressure pumping technology to deliver high-strength concrete to great heights and real-time measurement using GPS. The total length of rebar used in the building is about 40,000 kilometers, enough to circle the Earth.
Samsung C&T has a history of successful high-rise projects in Malaysia, including the Petronas Twin Towers, which were the tallest buildings in Malaysia at 452 m when completed in 1998; the luxury mixed-use Star Residences, and the Sapura Tower, the new headquarters of Sapura Group.