A new meaning to fast-track design

Soaring 445.5m above the streets of Kuala Lumpur, South East Asia's tallest building to date has broken many records; including the second biggest single concrete pour in the world and a construction rate of one floor every two days. 

The Exchange 106 Tower is lighting up the new Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) financial district in KL's CBD. Encased in its blue glass façade and offering 380,000m² of prime office space, this centrepiece structure owned by Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd is at the time of writing in February 2021, the 21st tallest building in the world.

The pressure was on from the start to construct the tower in record time, and fast-track design was the focus for our mechanical and electrical engineers engaged on this project. With the contractor already on board and basement construction underway, we had just six months to complete concept and full tender design so building services systems could be procured and installed as the building rose quickly out of the ground.

Collaboration was key – we worked with the architect in Indonesia, the structural engineer in the US, a local engineer in Malaysia and other designers around Southeast Asia to introduce international tall building solutions. 

We integrated services with the structure to achieve a full 2.8m ceiling height within a 4m floor to floor allowance, and introduced numerous green features including a wastewater treatment plant, daylight and motion sensors and 100% LED lighting throughout. 

In just 4 years from September 2015 to September 2019, The Exchange 106 achieved its goal and has opened its prestigious offices to financial institutions from around the globe!

Awards

• 2021 ACE New Zealand Awards 2021 - Gold 
• 2021 CTBUH Award of Excellence - 'Best Tall Building 400 metres and above'
• 2021 CTBUH Award of Excellence - 'MEP Engineering'