Case Studies

At an altitude of 635 metres, a length of 400,000 m2 and views from the skies over Malaysia, the Merdeka 118 skyscraper is currently being built in Kuala Lumpur. It is expected to be the tallest building in the country and the second tallest in the world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is a pioneer in BIM construction as it is designed 100% under this methodology and is expected to be completed in 2021.

The objective of the project is to become an 83-storey top-quality office tower and a luxury hotel known as Pak Hyatt, which is expected to be installed on the top floor and will have 250 rooms and suites. Together the two facilities will form the 118-story building characterized by its geometric structure that will also house the headquarters of one of the country's leading investment companies, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). For Fender Karsalidis Architects, the Australian company in charge of the design, Merdeka 118 has been an intelligent building challenge, above all due to the complexity represented by the dimensions of the building.

The use of 3D design technology under the Archicad BIM software has been the key tool since it has allowed to concentrate and automate all the information about the building phases. In addition, it has also facilitated the processes of each worker in their specialty such as those related to the calculation of structure, volume of material, operating costs and even resources for equipment. This is what Graphisoft, a BIM service and development company, said in the words of the architect in charge of the project, Karl Fender.

Oscar Serrano, the company's product manager, stated that "the skyscraper sets the standard for technology integration to the industry at an international level, in addition to allowing highly accurate work based on automated information. Akos Pfemeter, Graphisoft's Vice President of Product Success also concluded, "We believe that a major paradigm shift is imminent. By providing architects and engineers with an integrated design environment, they can now work together as a team to create great architecture.

Merdeka 118 is also crowned for representing the sustainable construction that many projects already echo. The building is undergoing an environmental program and is also seeking triple sustainability certification: the USGBC LEED program, the Green Building Index of Malaysia (GBI) and the GreenRE program in Malaysia. 

Image source: Obras Expansión I Merdeka 118