This project is far more than just an office building — it is a monument to Merdeka, which represents independence, freedom and sovereignty for Malaysia. It stands on the very site where Tunku Abdul Rahman declared independence in 1957, pinpointing this historic moment within the cityscape. The building’s height makes it visible from anywhere in Kuala Lumpur, serving as a constant reminder of Malaysia’s gaining of independence.
The scale and significance of this project are truly city-changing. While it includes offices, a hotel, a Sky Deck, an expansive 100,000 square metres of retail in the podium and three residential towers, its impact extends far beyond these components. The project has brought much needed transformational civic improvements to the neighbourhood, creating a precinct. It introduced an underground railway station, a 200-metre long by 60-metre wide water garden forecourt to Stadium Merdeka, and created vital connections from Chinatown through the building itself. It is a massive public offering that leverages its own scale to upgrade infrastructure and public facilities and amenities.
The tower also plays a crucial role in defining the city’s skyline. Along with the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers, it forms part of a collection of city-defining markers. Wherever you are in Kuala Lumpur, these presences in the sky help you understand where you are. Their presence acts as markers and enables orientations within the organic urban fabric of Kuala Lumpur.
How did the design satisfy the brief?
From a pragmatic perspective, we’ve successfully created a mixed-use structure that defies gravity. The brief called for a combination of functions — offices, retail, residential and public spaces — all of which have been seamlessly integrated into a single, towering structure, which has obviously met the complex structural requirements while ensuring public safety and solving the challenges of vertical transportation.
Beyond the practical design fundamentals, the tower serves as a celebration of place, pinpointing the exact location where Malaysia’s independence was declared, a humble stadium that is now celebrated by the presence of this grand monument. It has become a powerful symbol of an important part of Malaysia’s journey as a nation.
The public’s response has been overwhelmingly positive, which we believe is the true marker of success. The building has been gratefully received by the Malaysian people, who see it as a celebration of a crucial milestone in their country’s development. They have philosophically assigned the asymmetrically located spire as a symbolic representation of the crucial moment that Tunku Abdul Rahman raised his arm while declaring Malaysia’s independence.
This project has been a long journey, 13 years in the making, spanning the terms of numerous Prime Ministers and five chairs of the client organisation, PNB. Throughout this time, all involved have remained committed to creating not just a tall building, but a structure that provides significant amenity to the public while serving as an architectural statement of monumental relevance.
What about the design do you see as innovative or unique? What challenges did you face and how did you solve these?
We started the project in 2011, and from the outset, we knew we were dealing with something extraordinary. The structural demands of a building this tall are immense, it is a science. It required a huge consultant team effort, particularly our brilliant structural & services engineers and vertical transportation experts. Together, this collaboration between all consultants and with an inspirational client group created an economically viable, robust, sustainable project and an enriched precinct.
One of our primary challenges was managing wind effects. With buildings of this height, the wind forces must be disrupted to reduce potentially destructive harmonic motion. Our solution was to design a crystalline form made up of triangular facets. Whilst functionally critical, it also created a visually and culturally significant presence. The facets are inspired by the local songket patterns of Malaysian arts and crafts. The varying sizes of these facets subtly reference the different cultures that make up Malaysia’s richly diverse population. It was a way at the time of subtly representing ‘One Malaysia’ through architectural language.
This marriage of structural pragmatism and cultural celebration has produced a crystalline sculptural presence that is constantly changing when viewed from different locations. In response to varying natural light conditions: it performs daily.
Merdeka 118 is more than just a tall building, it is a catalyst for urban transformation and public benefit. It integrates a new underground MRT station, a civic water garden, and establishes additional urban connectivity. The project has delivered much needed improvements to infrastructure including 1.5 km of underground access roads. The investment in buildings of this size produces the opportunity for beneficial upgrading of public facilities and infrastructure.
How does this project stand out in the FK oeuvre?
Projects such as these are not common. Merdeka 118 is a testament to FK’s evolution over 30 years, from establishment when we created our own work for survival, to now undertaking projects of international significance.
From the outset, FK has maintained a consistent focus on placemaking, innovation and design excellence. These core principles have guided the practice through its growth and diversification. The practice is sustained by this quest for placemaking excellence and opportunities to create community benefit of citywide significance.
FK’s portfolio is diverse, encompassing supertall buildings like Eureka Tower and Australia 108, as well as, for instance, museums, and smaller crafted projects and across many other typologies. However, the common thread across all these projects is the emphasis on public impact and benefit.
When it comes to mega-tall buildings such as Merdeka 118, the same principles apply, but they become even more compelling. A grand statement provides the chance to inspire with the obligation to create opportunity, surprise and delight.
The scale and budget of such projects enables benefactions, with opportunities to significantly contribute to the urban fabric, the environment and community. This project stands out to the practice, certainly not for its height, but rather for how it embodies FK core principles of civic design relevance, community benefit and of course, design excellence.
Will we see something of this size in Australia?
Currently, there is no need for buildings of extraordinary height in Australia.
However, our approach has always been responsive to community and commercial needs. The densification we’ve seen, particularly in Melbourne, has been needed to responsibly bring population to the city with efficient land use.
High-rise living, such as Australia 108 in Melbourne which houses 1,100 apartments on a small plot, illustrates sustainable urban development. It reduces sprawl, decreases transportation needs and puts residents close to city amenities. This approach creates vibrant communities and convenient, sustainable urban living.
What does FK think of the project overall?
FK is proud of the project. It was a privileged city-changing opportunity, a mega-scale challenge in a different country within a rich foreign culture. It presented a compelling responsibility, a real challenge and has certainly been part of the practice’s learning and development.
About FK
FK is a multi-disciplinary international design firm delivering projects around the globe, with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The practice’s work includes ground-breaking projects such as Mona in Hobart and Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, set to become the world’s second-tallest tower. Spanning cultural, commercial, multi-residential, senior living and hotel typologies, FK delivers holistic solutions in architecture, master planning, urban design and interiors. The practice’s core philosophies — place, sustainability and innovation — are embedded across FK’s project portfolio.
