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2010 Environmental Opportunities Charrette with 40 members of the project design team.

In 2010, Terrapin facilitated an Environmental Opportunities Workshop with the design team, ownership, and a group of international consultants for the design of a 118-story tower in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The agenda of the group was to identify goals for the 3.2 million square foot commercial tower and 4 million square foot site planning, to review LEED credits, and to strategize on additional sustainability measures for the project. The workshop included specific discussions about the design of the Tower and vision planning for the greater site district.

Merdeka 118 aspires to be a model for workplace safety and sustainability, and to secure multiple platinum certifications through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009 Core and Shell, Green Building Index (GBI) and the GreenRE system. Given the tower’s height, orientation and glass façade, design strategies put particular emphasis on energy optimization, including an alternative solution for tower corners with extreme solar exposures, a district cooling system, dual use exhaust and cooling tower fans, and a unique HVAC strategy to facilitate temperature and humidity control of a 36-story atrium. Located in a dense urban center of Kuala Lumpur, the tower site is close to public transit, schools, and other amenities. The site will optimize outdoor space and navigability, while supporting site appropriate vegetation and a central water feature that each help manage rainwater and enhance the pedestrian experience in the Equatorial climate.

The overlay of the three certification systems benchmarks the project with a more comprehensive cross section of features and performance measures.

• LEED compares the project to a well-developed international standard.
• GBI is a similar Malaysia standard which adds emphasis on implementation and construction, the well-being of workers involved, and continued monitoring after the project is complete and is being operated.
• GreenRE is another Malaysia standard that provides additional emphasis on energy savings and use.

With all of these systems, the client and users of the building have more confidence that the tower is being built and operated with the highest standards of design and performance.

The project officially broke ground in 2016 and achieved substantial completion in 2023. The project achieved LEED Platinum certification on March 26, 2024. Notable achievements (per LEED reporting) include the following performance data:

• 100% hot water demand is provided by a Rooftop Solar Thermal System
• 100% onsite Rainwater Capture and Reuse
• 100% non-potable Landscaping Irrigation
• 100% of the wood products are from Certified Sustainably Sourced Timber
• 100% of parking is underground, maximizing open space and minimizing heat island effect
• 97% TSS removal efficiency in stormwater quality design
• 94% Construction Waste Diversion from Landfill
• 90% of regularly occupied spaces have Quality Views
• 70% Green Power Purchase for first year of total actual operational energy use
• 43% Reduction in Water Use (compared to baseline)
• 42% of M118’s building materials (by cost) are Sourced from within Malaysia
• 41% of M118’s building materials (by cost) are made from Recycled Content
• 28% more Energy Efficient (compared to baseline)
• 15% of building users have onsite access to secure bike storage
• 3% of parking bays offer EV Charging
• 1.2% of M118’s electrical demand is provided by the podium canopy’s building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) System
• Whole-building, vertical pneumatic Automated Waste Collection System
• No Added Urea Formaldehyde products
• No smoking on site

Terrapin has been an active member of the design and construction team as the sustainability consultant and LEED administrator from 2010–2025.

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Client / Owner: PNB Merdeka Ventures Bhd. Sdn.
Project Size: 3.2 Million square feet
A/E Team: Fender Katsalidis Architects (Exec. Arch), RSP Architects (Arch of Record), Lehr Engineering (Exec. MEP Eng.), KTA Tenaga (MEP Eng. of Record), Turner International, Kaer Sdn Bhd, Sasaki (LArch), Pentago (LArch of Record), Fisher Marantz Stone (Exterior Lighting), ARUP (Civil Eng.), Barker Mohandas (VT), CMD (CxA) and many others!
CA Team: Samsung C&T UEM Construction JV, Neapoli
Terrapin Role: Sustainability Consultant and LEED Administrator
Terrapin Team: Catie Ryan, Bill Browning, Chris Garvin, Dakota Walker, Chris Starkey
Substantial Completion: 2024