Arya News - Merdeka 118 Precinct`s ambition is clear: to attract global businesses, visitors and investment while ensuring that Malaysian heritage remains at the heart of how the precinct is designed, operated and experienced.
KUALA LUMPUR – The Merdeka 118 Precinct was not built merely as another landmark on Kuala Lumpur’s skyline, but as a global precinct with a distinct Malaysian identity.
Its ambition is clear – to attract global businesses, visitors and investment while ensuring that Malaysian heritage remains at the heart of how the precinct is designed, operated and experienced.
For its management, the challenge is not simply to build a world-class destination, but to create one that can represent KL and Malaysia on the global stage without losing sight of its roots.
According to PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Dr Izwan Ibrahim, given that the building is the second tallest in the world, he and his team thought long and hard about what they wanted to convey.
“We wanted this precinct to represent where Malaysia is going.
“So you have our heritage, culture and history sitting alongside modern architecture, technology, innovation and new experiences,” he told The Star during an interview recently.
Standing at 678.9m, the flagship tower now known as Menara Merdeka Maybank, sits in the midst of Stadium Merdeka, Merdeka Textile Museum, Look at 118, Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, and soon, 118 Mall and The View at 118 observation deck.
External illumination became a defining element of the building’s identity, transforming it from a static landmark into a dynamic presence that engages with the city and its people.
The tower incorporates approximately 8.8km of integrated LED strips across more than 23,000 exterior facade panels, allowing the building to come alive through light.
As far as green credentials go, the tower has achieved LEED Platinum certification, triple Platinum recognition under GreenRE, and the Green Building Index, as well as WELL Core Platinum Certification.
Izwan said he is particularly proud of the internal team that conceptualised, designed and brought to life the LED facade’s visual language, from its colours and patterns to its animations.
One of the more recent highlights was during the World Cup Final at the end of July, which Izwan said presented an opportunity to make the city more vibrant as well as engage the people, especially football fans.
“So, at 7pm on that day, we turned on the lighting and lit it up with yellow and red to represent Spain.
“After five minutes, we changed it to white and blue for Argentina.
“The lights continued to change until 2.30am whereby we turned the whole building white in anticipation of the game that started at 3am,” he said.
“We were tracking social media; people were snapping photos of the tower from afar and it was buzzing with comments online.
“I looked around and saw the cheers go up and people take photos of the tower. This is when I knew why Menara Merdeka Maybank will be successful at being more than just a building,” he added.
Another occasion where the team got to show off their skills was during Merdeka Day.
“We decided that for the whole month of August, the tower would feature the colours of the Malaysian flag. The great thing is, we have the technical capabilities to move the lights around and animate them.
“So from whatever location one was driving into the city from, the lit-up tower with all the colours of our flag could be seen,” said Izwan.
For Malaysia Day, the team has taken the opportunity to create another special display for the occasion.
“I challenged the team to come up with something even better. I hope people see something that reflects our journey as a country, celebrates who we are today and gives us a sense of optimism about where Malaysia can go next,” he said.
Meanwhile, the next challenge for the tower is commercial – how can the enclave based on the world’s second tallest building be turned into a genuinely functioning global precinct?
Izwan said the lighting on its tower was only one part of a much bigger ecosystem.
“I see value in how we use the lighting to accentuate other offerings. For instance, when Bank of America moved in, we had all the international presidents from various countries come here.
“We lit the towers up with blue and red, which is their colour,” he pointed out, adding that the tower will in itself be a destination for many.
“At peak occupancy, the tower itself is expected to bring around 10,000 to 11,000 people into the precinct on weekdays. On weekends, you have Stadium Merdeka and eventually Stadium Negara bringing in visitors for events, while The View at 118 is expected to attract between one million and 1.5 million visitors a year,” he said.
With plans for many of the other developments underway, Izwan said he hopes that the Merdeka 118 Precinct never loses its ambition to remain culturally relevant, even as it grows into a world-class destination.