Merdeka 118, officially known as Merdeka Maybank Tower (Malay: Menara Merdeka Maybank), and formerly known as Menara Warisan Merdeka, KL 118, and PNB 118, is a 118-story megatall skyscraper in the Merdeka Precinct, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At 678.9 metres (2,227 feet) tall, it is the second-tallest building and structure in the world, only behind the Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE), at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). The structure was completed in November 2023, celebrating its grand opening on 10 January 2024, but the building was not opened to the public as scheduled. Finally, on 7 August 2025, the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Hotel began operation on levels 75 to 112. The rest of the project remains far behind schedule as of 1 July 2026, still under construction with most areas closed to the public. The building's name, Merdeka, which means "independence" in Malay, is inspired by its proximity to Stadium Merdeka. The spire of the building was completed in December 2022, which marked its final height of 678.9 m (2,227 ft) above ground and 700.9 m (2,300 ft) above sea level. It is the tallest building in Malaysia—surpassing the 451.9-metre (1,483 ft) Petronas Twin Towers—and in Southeast Asia, surpassing the 462-metre (1,516 ft) Landmark 81. The building will also be the first in Malaysia to receive a triple platinum rating from worldwide sustainability certifications such as Green Building Index (GBI), including LEED. On 30 July 2026, Merdeka 118 Tower was officially renamed as Merdeka Maybank Tower (Menara Merdeka Maybank) after one of its anchor tenants, Maybank Berhad.
Building The project was announced by the then-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Bin Ahmad Badawi on 12 September 2007 as a watershed chapter in PNB’s illustrious history. When it was completed in 2023, the tower became the tallest building in Malaysia. It was constructed in three phases and consists of 400,000 square metres (4,300,000 sq ft) of residential, hotel and commercial space. The building is a mix of office spaces, hotels, and retail outlets and an observatory floor which is the highest observation deck in Southeast Asia. It has two observation decks, the first inside the building and the second inside the spire, and a retail business center (118 Mall). It will be surrounded by four acres of urban and linear parks. The non-rentable space consists of elevators, recreational and maintenance facilities, as well as parking spaces for up to 8,500 cars. Sixty out of the 80 storeys of office space will be reserved for Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the developer of the project, and its subsidiaries.
Funding
The Merdeka 118 precinct is a 7.7-hectare (19-acre) land development funded by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), a state-owned enterprise of the Malaysian government. The budget of RM5 billion has faced criticism from many Malaysians, saying that the money was in essence public money and could have been better used elsewhere, such as for basic infrastructure and a raise in the minimum wage. In 2016, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who would eventually be directly involved with the 1MDB scandal, claimed that the project was not a waste and it would "bring more benefits" by generating "economic opportunities".
Site The building is situated on Jalan Hang Jebat, on the location of the former Merdeka Park (subsequently repurposed into an open-air car park). The site lies within the vicinity of landmarks such as Petaling Street, sporting venues including Merdeka Stadium, Stadium Negara and the Chin Woo Stadium, three schools (the Victoria Institution, the Methodist Boys' School and the Chinese-type Jalan Davidson Primary School), and the stalled Plaza Rakyat project (across the Ampang Line). The Merdeka 118 development also has access to the newly built Merdeka MRT station on the Kajang Line (SBK) and is directly linked from three major roads via the Belfield Tunnel, which is a 2-storey underground tunnel passing underneath Kampung Attap and Jalan Maharajalela to the basement of the precinct.
Design
The building is designed with a mixture of diamond-shaped glass facades to signify the diversity of Malaysians. The design was made to resemble and inspired by Tunku Abdul Rahman's outstretched hand gesture while chanting "Merdeka!", when he proclaimed the independence of Malaya on 31 August 1957. The building's cladding was to comprise 18,144 panels, 114,000 square-meter of glass, and 1,600 tonnes of window frame extrusions. It was to contain the 118 Mall, Grade-A offices, hotels, and residential areas. The structural engineers were Leslie E. Robertson Associates and Robert Bird Group while the civil and structural engineer of record for this tower is Arup. The building has been equipped and illuminated at night with 8.4 kilometres of LED light strips which would gradually move from one corner to another. The Neapoli Group, an environmental design and engineering firm, was employed to provide consultancy services towards achieving platinum rating with three Green Building certification bodies: Green Building Index (GBI), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and GreenRE.
Floor Plans
(All of the floor plans and its level arrangements were obtained from the building's proposals and may be subject to change.)
Height The height of the spire, crown, roof, top floor, observation and residential towers of Merdeka 118.
Progress
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